Department for Transport

Aviation: Seating

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Civil Aviation Authority will publish its report on its investigation on allocated airline seating.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently reviewing airline allocated seating polices after conducting consumer research that shows the current approach to allocated seating is causing confusion. As the body responsible for protecting and promoting the interests of consumers travelling by air, the CAA is seeking more information from airlines about their allocated seating practices to find out whether consumers are being treated fairly, and whether pricing policies are transparent. It also sought consumer views directly. The CAA is currently analysing the results of their research. Once this is complete, findings and next steps will be published later this year.

South Eastern Rail Franchise: Standards

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Southeastern rail franchise operates a daily cap on delay repay claims.

Joseph Johnson: No such cap exists.

M6: Lancashire

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will instruct Highways England to carry out a survey of the drainage pipes buried in the verges of the M6 where it runs close to Galgate.

Jesse Norman: This is an operational matter for Highways England.

Driverless Vehicles: Safety

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on public safety of driverless vehicles.

Jesse Norman: Connected and automated vehicle technologies offer many potential benefits including improved road traffic safety. In 2016, 86% of collisions on British roads were caused by human error, and we believe that connected and automated vehicle technologies could help reduce that number. The UK Code of Practice supports developers to undertake safe tests of automated vehicle technologies.

Merchant Shipping: Minimum Wage

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.32 of his Department's consultation document entitled Maritime 2050: Call for evidence, published on 27 March 2018, when he plans to make the changes required to extend entitlement to national minimum wage rates of pay for merchant seafarers working on ships in territorial waters and on one port voyages.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Maritime 2050: Call for evidence consultation document sought views on a long term maritime strategy. Under the ‘people’ theme the document aims to identify the most viable UK position that meets the nation’s needs on skills, training and employment in 2050. A legal working group has been considering the current application of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) to seafarers working in the UK and whether legislative changes are necessary. The Minister for Maritime has received recommendations from the group concerning the extension of the NMW and the Government is considering these recommendations.

Road Traffic: East Midlands

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to reduce road congestion on A-roads in the East Midlands.

Jesse Norman: The Government is investing over £15 billion to improve the Strategic Road Network in England and this includes substantial investment in A-roads in the East Midlands. The £150 million A453 upgrade near Nottingham and the £42 million A14 improvement at Kettering have already been completed. Schemes on the A5, A6, A38, A45, A46 and A52 are in development. On local roads, the Government announced last autumn that local highway authorities in the East Midlands would receive £21 million of funding from the National Productivity Investment Fund to tackle congestion, boost economic growth and access sites for housing.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department makes available for improving major road junctions.

Jesse Norman: The Government has made £12bn of funding available through the Local Growth Fund in the current Spending Review period which can be used to improve roads, including major road junctions. Local Authorities have also had the opportunity to bid for individual large schemes to be funded through the Large Local Major scheme competition. Additional funding will be made available from the National Road Fund to fund schemes on the Strategic Road Network and Major Road Network.The Government is also investing over £15 billion in the Strategic Road Network to improve road and junction capacity.

Blue Badge Scheme

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers are available to local authorities to award Blue Badges in the event that an application is not within his Department’s guidelines.

Jesse Norman: An applicant for a badge must meet the eligibility criteria set out in regulation 4 of The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000 (as amended). It is for local authorities to decide whether a badge should be issued. The Department provides guidance to authorities but this is not binding.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse of repatriating UK citizens was after the collapse of Monarch airlines.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of the cost of repatriating UK citizens after the collapse of monarch airlines came from (a) the public purse, (b) the travel industry, (c) credit card companies, (d) insurance companies (e) other sources.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of final cost to the public purse of costs not recharged after the collapse of Monarch airlines.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) people and (b) organisations have refused to contribute to repatriation costs after the collapse of Monarch airlines.

Jesse Norman: The Department is not yet able to give a final figure for the costs of the repatriation operation as we are awaiting invoices from third parties. In line with the usual transparency guidelines on Government financial reporting, the final expenditure will be made clear in the annual accounts for the Department, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Air Travel Trust (ATT), which should be published in June 2018. At this stage, the current forecasts suggest that the total cost of the repatriation operation remains broadly in line with the original estimate of around £60m. The Department is focused on making sure that there is clear burden sharing of the repatriation operation, and is seeking to recover costs of the operation from third parties. This is a continuing process and a final position on cost recovery is unlikely to be known until the completion of the administrative process; this may take several months. The Department will in due course be able to report back with more detail.

Carillion: Insolvency

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes to supplier checks have been made by Highways England as a result of the collapse of Carillion in January 2018.

Jesse Norman: Following Carillion’s collapse, Highways England re-examined the adequacy of the current tests it carries out in relation to suppliers’ financial viability. Although it concluded that the indicators and processes it is using remain robust, Highways England has increased the resource levels in the team responsible for these finance checks, allowing more suppliers to be considered in depth. Highways England continues to work with the Department for Transport and other stakeholders to review the process for testing the financial standing of suppliers, and has made clear it will seek to implement lessons and best practice identified as appropriate in the coming months.

Manchester-sheffield Railway Line

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of scheduled trains between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly were classed as having passengers in excess of capacity from the latest available data.

Joseph Johnson: There are no published statistics on the proportion of scheduled trains between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly with passengers in excess of capacity. Rail crowding statistics published by the Department for Transport give information on levels of train crowding by city, and a table containing the percentage of train services with passengers in excess of capacity (PiXC) at Manchester and Sheffield during the morning and evening peak is given below:Number of servicesNumber of services with PiXCPercentage of services with PiXCAM peak arrivalsManchester1 hour peak681319% 3 hour peak1852212% Sheffield1 hour peak21210% 3 hour peak5823%PM peak departuresManchester1 hour peak68913% 3 hour peak1922010%Sheffield1 hour peak2215% 3 hour peak6323%  Further information is provided in the following online table:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633753/rai0212.ods

Manchester-sheffield Railway Line

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to make a decision on the Hope Valley Capacity Scheme submitted to his Department by Network Rail.

Joseph Johnson: On 13 February 2018, the Secretary of State announced his decision to provide Network Rail Infrastructure Limited with the legal powers to construct, operate and maintain new passing facilities and associated railway infrastructure on the Hope Valley route between Bamford and Hathersage and at Dore. The decision letter and inspector’s report are available on the GOV website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/network-rail-hope-valley-capacity-order

Railways: East Midlands

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of stopping services at East Midlands Parkway to support the growth of (a) the East Midlands Airport and (b) the economy in that region; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of specifying an increase in the number of stopping services at that station in the upcoming tender for that franchise in order to better serve passengers using East Midlands Airport.

Joseph Johnson: The Government and rail industry are investing in the biggest improvement in rail travel since the Victorian era, including through the upgrade of the Midland Main Line. This programme will improve rail journeys for passengers using the Midland Main Line to travel into London St Pancras. In developing the specification for the next East Midlands franchise it is important that airport passenger services are properly considered. We are considering options for future rail services to and from East Midlands Parkway and my Department has engaged with East Midlands Airport to understand their proposals. In our public consultation, held last summer, we asked stakeholders how the train service could be better at meeting the needs of passengers travelling to and from airports within the East Midlands. The consultation closed on 11 October 2017. All options for rail services in the next franchise are subject to analysis of the potential benefits and the outcome of our consultation with stakeholders. Thus, no decisions have been made on rail services that will be specified for the next franchise. Any outcome will seek to secure the best value for money for the taxpayer and be in the best interests of rail passengers. The next franchise is planned to start in August 2019. Invitations to Tender (ITT) are due to be issued to potential bidders later this year. The ITT will set out the minimum requirements and provide the baseline that we expect the next franchise to build on.

Road Traffic: East Midlands

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of congestion on A-roads in the East Midlands.

Jesse Norman: Information is held on average delay on locally managed ‘A’ roads by region in England, and the most recent data published by the Department is as follows. CGN0502b: Average delay on locally managed ‘A’ roads Average delay (seconds per vehicle per mile)Percentage changes 2015201620172015 to 20162016 to 2017East Midlands31.432.133.7+2.5%+4.9%England44.645.946.9+2.8%+2.3%  Average delay is commonly used as a measure of congestion. An increase in average delay indicates an increase in the level of congestion.These statistics come from the table CGN0502b, which is published annually in February. The full table can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/average-speed-and-delay-on-local-a-roads-cgn05#table-cgn0502 The Department does not produce statistics for congestion at the regional level for the Strategic Road Network. Highways England keeps the trunk road and motorway network in England under constant review, but has made no recent specific assessment of trends in the level of congestion through the East Midlands. In March 2017, Highways England published its Route Strategies presenting a high level view of performance and constraints on the existing road network as well as recommending areas for further study. More information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/future-investment-in-englands-motorways-and-major-roads#route-strategies

Southern: Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on (a) how many occasions and (b) which class of train there have been reports of camera failure since the introduction of driver only operation services on Southern train services.

Joseph Johnson: We do not hold the information requested as the operator is not obligated to provide it to the Department. Please note that Driver Only Operation has been used safely on what we now call the Southern network since the 1980s, when it was introduced by British Rail.

Department for Transport: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport facilitates all its recruitment through the Civil Service Jobs recruitment platform and has done so since March 2013. This platform does not ask for applicants to enter any criminal record history or declarations at the point of applying. The Department therefore has been aligned with the aims of the Ban the Box initiative from this time.

Department for Transport: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport facilitates all its recruitment through the Civil Service Jobs recruitment platform and has done so since March 2013. This platform does not ask for applicants to enter any criminal record history or declarations at the point of applying. The Department therefore has been aligned with the aims of the Ban the Box initiative from this time. It is only if an individual is successful in being selected for a role, that information on an individual’s criminal record is requested from the Government Recruitment Service on our behalf in order to conduct the required pre-employment checking. If an individual does have a criminal record, they are not automatically discounted from being employed by the department and it is for the relevant HR Departments to make a decision as to whether the nature of the offence would prevent the individual from being able to carry out the job role as well as the level of risk.

A1: Northumberland

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for work commencing on the proposed duelling of the A1 road between Morpeth and Ellingham in Northumberland.

Jesse Norman: As part of the Development Consent Order process, the Statutory Consultation for the Morpeth to Felton dualling is scheduled to start in June 2018 and Statutory Consultation for the Alnwick to Ellingham dualling, is scheduled to start in 2019. Highways England’s latest Delivery Plan commits to start of works on both schemes in 2019/20.

Railways: Northumberland

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made by the Government on the proposed re-opening of the Ashington, Tyne and Blyth train line in Northumberland.

Joseph Johnson: The re-introduction of passenger services on the freight only line between Ashington and Newcastle to improve connectivity between communities in South East Northumberland is being promoted by Northumberland County Council and they have recently agreed to fund further scheme development work by Network Rail. The Department for Transport and Transport for the North (TfN) are happy to provide advice to the council to refine their business case. We have recently published details of our new approach for rail network enhancement proposals and guidance for promoters and investors on market led proposals. We will be taking TfN’s advice on the priorities for the North of England. Further information is available on the GOV website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/invitation-for-investors-to-invest-in-rail-infrastructure

Railways: Merseyside

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the economic merits of (a) maintaining and (b) improving the rail infrastructure in Merseyside.

Joseph Johnson: The Government and Liverpool City Region are investing over £300m in the region to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for local and national rail passengers. We are seeing the real, tangible benefits of that investment already at Liverpool Lime Street, including major upgrades to platforms and signalling at this great Victorian station, which will enable three new services per hour in and out of Lime Street before 2020, including direct services to Scotland. The Government continues to make record levels of funding available for the railway, including up to £47.9bn for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the railway in the next five year Control Period (2019-2024). We have recently published details of our new approach for rail network enhancement proposals and guidance for promoters and investors on market led proposals. We will be taking TfN’s advice on the priorities for the North of England. Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) has the potential to provide significant benefits to Liverpool by improving the capacity and connectivity for rail services from Liverpool City Region to Warrington, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly. It also provides the potential for faster services from Liverpool to London via HS2. We are working closely with TfN to assess a range of options to inform the Strategic Outline Business Case for NPR due at the end of this year.

Railways: Lewisham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the publication of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch's investigation into the stranding of trains at Lewisham on the 2 March 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) announced on 13 March that it will conduct a full investigation into the events following the stranding of trains in freezing weather, near Lewisham, on 2 March 2018. A full investigation, including consultation of interested parties, is normally completed within 12 months. RAIB reports published in 2017 were on average published 9.8 months after an event. Each investigation will vary, depending on its complexity. In all cases, a full and public investigation report is published, including safety recommendations. If safety issues that require immediate action are identified during an investigation, the RAIB will publish Urgent Safety Advice without delay.

Railways: Lewisham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will take steps to ensure that the Rail Accident Investigation Branch's investigation into the incident outside of Lewisham station on the 2 March 2018 will also investigate the incident which took place on the 5 April 2018 outside Lewisham station.

Joseph Johnson: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is aware of the electrical failure near Lewisham and St Johns stations on 5 April 2018 that led to passengers being trapped on a stranded train for more than three hours until they could be transferred to another train. This event is outside the RAIB’s normal scope as accident investigators, but the RAIB is confident that its ongoing investigation into the stranding of numerous trains at Lewisham on 2 March will identify learning that is generally applicable to managing the stranding of trains at this location, and more generally.

Department for Transport: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There are no direct employees or agency workers paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation in the central Department for Transport, MCA, DVSA and VCA. In DVLA, out of a total headcount of 6032, there are 28 directly employed members of staff on apprenticeship schemes who are paid above the National Living Wage but slightly below the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. We do not hold information on the earnings of outsourced workers.

Blue Badge Scheme

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits enabling people with autism to qualify as Blue Badge holders.

Jesse Norman: The Department met the National Autistic Society prior to going out to public consultation in early 2018 on whether to extend the Blue Badge scheme to people with non-physical disabilities whose health or safety may be at risk when making a journey. Responses to the consultation are being analysed, and a decision will be made later this year.

Travellers: Census

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings he has had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Jesse Norman: The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. The Department has provided data from the National Travel Survey on measures such as driving licence holding, household car access and the number of journeys made each year. However, the number of Gypsy or Irish Travellers in the survey is too small to show data for this group separately. The Office for National Statistics and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to improve the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service and the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.

European Aviation Safety Agency

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK will remain a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency during the implementation period after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Grayling: During the time-limited implementation period, the UK will no longer be an EU Member State. However, as set out in the terms of the agreement, common rules will remain in place. The EASA basic regulation will therefore continue to apply, so all UK-issued certificates, approvals and licences will be automatically recognised as valid in the EASA system (and vice versa).

Taxis: Wheelchairs

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the practice of taxi hire firms nominating cars suitable for wheelchairs as private hire taxis only thereby increasing the costs of taxi hire for disabled users.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Both taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) provide disabled people with an essential service, enabling them to complete door-to-door journeys where other forms of transport may not be accessible. Section 165 of the Equality Act 2010 ensures that drivers of designated wheelchair accessible taxis and PHVs cannot charge wheelchair users more than other passengers, and we encourage licensing authorities to take the steps necessary to ensure the rules apply to drivers in their area. Authorities should also use their existing powers to ensure that taxi and PHV fleets include an appropriate mix of vehicles to ensure the service they provide is accessible to wheelchair users and other disabled people.

Road Traffic: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many representations he has received on the level of noise pollution caused by traffic from people living in the London Borough of Southwark in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: We have received four representations on the level of noise pollution caused by traffic from people living in the London Borough of Southwark in the last three years. Traffic in the London Borough of Southwark is a local matter, for which responsibility lies with Transport for London (for the Transport for London Road Network or ‘red routes’) and the London Borough of Southwark (for all other roads in the Borough).

Rolling Stock

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what strategy has been put in place to co-ordinate the entry into service of 7,000 new rail vehicles in control period (CP) 5 and early CP6 and the upgrading of rail infrastructure in order to maximise the benefits of that new rolling stock to passengers.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the capability of the UK rail network infrastructure to fully realise the benefits of the new rail vehicles due to enter service in CP5 and early CP6 which will be electric.

Joseph Johnson: Operators set out their strategies for the introduction of new rolling stock as part of each franchise competition. It is the responsibility of those operators to ensure that they co-ordinate the introduction of new trains with Network Rail to ensure that any relevant infrastructure is compatible and available for use.

Railway Network: Investment

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) Department and (b) Minister will be responsible for making the final decisions on projects within the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.

Joseph Johnson: The Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline sets out the principle of joint decision making between the Department for Transport and the infrastructure provider and manager (usually Network Rail). The ultimate responsibility will rest with the Secretary of State for Transport.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 135108 on Govia Thameslink Railway: Compensation, how much compensation (a) has been paid and (b) is due to be paid to his Department by Network Rail.

Joseph Johnson: We do not know how much compensation has been paid to DfT so far by NR as a result of these additional works as Schedule 4 payments cover all possessions not just the additional £300m works. However, the value in relation to the £300m works to date will be minimal as Network Rail have accounted for a total of £1.53m in Schedule 4 compensation during the financial year 2017/18 (in relation to c£45m of works). This Schedule 4 figure covers all operators affected (eg Southeastern) and includes both the loss of revenue and cost elements. As the £300m is being used for a number of schemes which have yet to be completed, the amount of compensation due to be paid is as yet unknown.

Electric Vehicles

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of subsidies and financial incentives provided from the public purse has been by scheme for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electric Vehicles

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with local authorities on the provision of funding in revenue support grants for infrastructure to support electric vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Government officials regularly engage with local authorities in relation to support for electric vehicle infrastructure provision. Through the Government’s On-Street Residential Charging Scheme, grant funding is made available (75% capital costs, up to £7,500 per chargepoint). The Energy Savings Trust are funded by the Government to administer the scheme, providing bespoke resource to support local authorities in developing charging infrastructure plans.

Taxis: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to prohibit the practice of cross-border hiring by private hire vehicles; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory definition of cross-border hiring.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: At a Westminster Hall Debate last year, the Rt Hon John Hayes MP announced the formation of a Task and Finish group to consider any regulatory issues and remedies. The group’s remit includes considering a range of matters such as cross-border hiring of taxis and private hire vehicles. The group is expected to submit its report shortly.

Department for Transport: Staff

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the additional (a) staff and (b) resources required by the (i) Civil Aviation Authority, (ii) the Office of Rail and Road and (iii) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Transport and its Arms Length Bodies are engaged in a continuous process of anticipating and responding to the resourcing requirements of EU Exit. The Department is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (a public corporation), Office of Rail and Road (a non-Ministerial Department) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (an Executive Agency) to ensure they have sufficient staff and resources to support the government and their respective industries post-EU exit. As was confirmed in the Spring statement, the Department for Transport has been allocated £75.8m for essential EU exit preparations in 2018-19. While this has not been allocated yet, a proportion of this will be used to support resourcing requirements across the Department, and its associated agencies and public bodies.

Train Operating Companies

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will set out the shortfall in rail revenue received by his Department in 2017-2018 by train operator.

Joseph Johnson: We publish Rail finance statistics annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rail-finance-government-support-subsidy-and-private-investment-2016-to-2017. Information for financial year 2017-18 is provisionally scheduled for publication in September this year.

Railways: Costs

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the additional £65.7 million cost of the Intercity Express programme referred to on page 14 of the Memorandum on the Supplementary Estimate 2017-2018, if he will set out how much of that sum was spent on (a) depot costs and (b) contract variations.

Joseph Johnson: The Department’s 2017-2018 Supplementary Estimate states that of the £65.7m variance committed to ‘Other Railways’, £63m was committed to the Intercity Express Programme (IEP). This information can be found on page 22 of the Memorandum.This cost can be split into £35m which was assigned to assigned to modify Swansea Maliphant, North Pole and Stoke Gifford IEP depots. This figure also includes modifications to Swansea Station. A further £28m was assigned to other contractual variations.

Railways: Private Sector

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will set out which sectors of the rail industry benefitted from the £3.5 billion of private sector investment in the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The rail sector has seen significant private sector investment across rolling stock, stations, track and signalling. The majority of this has been investing in new rolling stock. For example, South Western Railway franchise will deliver 750 new vehicles costing in the region of £900 million, the East Anglia franchise 1043 new vehicles costing in the region of £1.4 billion and West Midlands Trains 413 new vehicles costing in the region of £680 million. In March we launched a call for ideas for market-led proposals to enhance the railway, encouraging promoters to bring forward proposals which are financially credible without government support.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Government has made on researching how new legislation might tackle the issue of unsafe pavement parking.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is currently gathering evidence on the issue of pavement parking, including how it is addressed in legislation. This work is in its early stages, and we expect to be able to draw conclusions later this year.

Bus Services: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on how many bus routes have been discontinued in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Bus operators must register their services with a Traffic Commissioner in the traffic area in which the service operates. Information regarding 2011/12 and subsequent years can be found here in the tables relating to local bus service registrations, which shows new and cancelled bus service registrations: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/traffic-commissioners-annual-reports Information regarding 2009/10 and 2010/11 can be found here in the tables relating to local bus service registrations: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131113220328/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-commissioners-annual-reports

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rapid electric taxi charging points have been installed on (a) the Transport for London road network and (b) other roads in London boroughs; and what the locations of each of those charging points is.

Jesse Norman: Currently forty five dedicated rapid electric taxi chargepoints have been installed across London, the locations for these can be found in the table below. LocationLand OwnershipLondon BoroughArnos Grove Station Car ParkTfL LandEnfieldOakwood Station Car ParkTfL LandEnfieldBrent Cross Station Car ParkTfL LandBarnetFairlop Station Car ParkTfL LandRedbridgeNewbury Park Station Car ParkTfL LandRedbridgeRuislip Gardens Station Car ParkTfL LandHillingdonWanstead Station Car ParkTfL LandRedbridgeSouth-Harrow Station Car ParkTfL LandHarrowWembley Park Station Car ParkTfL LandBrentHainault Station Car ParkTfL LandRedbridgeHarrow-On-The-Hill Station Car ParkTfL LandHarrowLeytonstone Station Car ParkTfL LandWaltham ForestSouth Woodford Station Car ParkTfL LandRedbridgeSouth-Ruislip Station Car ParkTfL LandHillingdonEast Finchley Station Car ParkTfL LandBarnetTotteridge & Whetstone Station Car ParkTfL LandBarnet103 Southwark StreetTFL HighwaySouthwark76-80 Tower Bridge RoadTFL HighwaySouthwarkMill Hill East Station Car ParkTfL LandBarnetQueensbury Station Car ParkTfL LandBrentWatford Station Car ParkTfL LandOutside London48 Southwark StreetTFL HighwaySouthwark76 Southwark StreetTFL HighwaySouthwark49 Southwark StreetTFL HighwaySouthwark3. Lidlington Place, loading bay on south side of carriageway outside EscTFL HighwayCamdenGreat Dover Street northbound,TFL HighwaySouthwark16 Talgarth RoadTFL HighwayHammersmith & FuWoodside-Park Station Car ParkTfL LandBarnetLondon Road south of Heathview RoadTFL HighwayCroydonHounslow-West Station Car ParkTfL LandHounslowOsterley Station Car ParkTfL LandHounslowTheydon-Bois Station Car ParkTfL LandOutside London38 Great Cambridge RoadTFL HighwayHaringey261 Battersea Park Road east of Forfar RoadTFL HighwayWandsworthHeathrowPrivate LandHillingdonPerivale Station Car ParkTfL LandEaling294 Euston RoadTFL HighwayCamdenBattersea Park Road opp Beechmore Road (Wtnd)TFL HighwayWandsworthRichmond Circus - South sideTFL HighwayRichmondOutside & Opposite Theodore, Jansen and Leight HouseTFL HighwayWandsworthEast of 27/001 there is layby parkingTFL HighwayHammersmith & FuHornchurch Station Car ParkTfL LandHaveringOpposite 167 - 171 Isledon RoadTFL HighwayIslingtonBurdett Road south of Portia wayTFL HighwayTower HamletsBarkingside Station Car ParkTfL LandRedbridge

Public Transport: Visual Impairment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support visually impaired people in using public transport.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is committed to ensuring that all disabled people, including those with visual impairments, have the same access to transport and opportunities to travel as everyone else. The Department’s draft Accessibility Action Plan, published for consultation last year, set out a number of steps that are being taken in pursuit of this goal across the different transport modes. The consultation received over 1,000 responses which the Department is taking into account as it finalises a new Inclusive Transport Strategy, which will be published in due course.

Network Rail: Regulation

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to review the Office of Rail and Road’s approach to the economic regulation of Network Rail before the commencement of Control Period 6 in May 2019.

Joseph Johnson: The Government last reviewed the role and functions of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in 2016 and the findings of this review emphasised the important role that independent economic regulation plays within the rail industry. The ORR has made significant changes to its regulatory approach to inform the planning for Control Period 6 (CP6), with an increased emphasis on route-level regulation of Network Rail and bottom-up appraisals of the deliverability and efficiency of its plans. The Government will continue to work closely with the ORR in its preparations for CP6, but does not plan any further review of the ORR at this time.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Nuclear Power: Consultants

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 132826 on Nuclear Power: Consultants, if he will set out (a) the title of each report that he plans to publish and the timetable for doing so and (b) the title of each report that he does not plan to publish and in each case the reasons why.

Richard Harrington: The information sought by the hon. Member will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Space Technology

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using local enterprise (a) zones and (b) partnerships to help support the UK's space launch industry.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The UK Space Agency is leading on the development of new commercial markets for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight in the UK. As part of this it is working with Enterprise Zones (EZs) and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the UK to support growth in their local space economies In addition the UK Space Agency has commissioned the UK Knowledge Transfer Network to provide an independent assessment of the current and potential strengths of UK companies that could supply space launch related goods and services. It is also supporting a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy sponsored science and innovation audit which will include an assessment of current UK space launch industry capabilities and the potential to develop the new capabilities required to play a leading role in this emerging market.

Working Hours

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has made an assessment of whether statutory minimum breaks remain sufficient for people working long shifts, including care workers.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has not made such an assessment.

Holiday Leave

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to change the 12 week pay reference period used to calculate paid annual leave; and whether his Department plans to implement the recommendation of the Taylor Review of a 52 week pay reference period for annual leave.

Andrew Griffiths: The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices was published in July 2017. On 7 February 2018, the Government published its response. We are taking forward work on the vast majority of the 53 recommendations in the Taylor Review. The response confirmed that we would set out proposals to introduce a 52 week reference period for holiday pay, as recommended in the Review. These proposals are included on our consultation on “Measures to increase transparency in the UK Labour Market”. This consultation is still open and we would welcome responses up to the deadline of 23 May 2018.

En+ Group: Stocks and Shares

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many discussions involving which officials his Department had with the Financial Conduct Authority and the UK Listing Authority on the stock market listing of EN+.

Richard Harrington: Departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK. These can be found at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012#2016 Details of meetings with officials is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Richard Harrington: The Department has implemented the measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8 February 2016.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Richard Harrington: The Department implemented on 8 February 2016 the measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on that date. Since then, no job adverts have asked for details of criminal convictions at application stage.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish the findings of the investigation into the fridge identified as the seat of the fire at Grenfell Tower.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department’s product safety investigation into Hotpoint model FF175 is ongoing and results will be published as soon as possible.

Furniture: Formaldehyde

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what controls are in place to protect customers from the use of formaldehyde in the production of MDF used for furniture.

Andrew Griffiths: Keeping consumers safe is a priority for this Government. Furniture is regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This requires it to be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use before it can be placed on the UK market. Manufacturers are required to monitor their products on the market and to take action if they become aware that a product is unsafe. Local Authority Trading Standards have powers to take action against any unsafe goods including removing them from the market.

Furniture: Formaldehyde

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the published acceptable limits for formaldehyde released from MDF wood used in furniture.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department has not made any such assessment. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have responsibility for the regulatory framework for the control of chemicals.

Furniture: Formaldehyde

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the published acceptable limits for formaldehyde in MDF furniture.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department has not made any such assessment. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have responsibility for the regulatory framework for the control of chemicals.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Richard Harrington: As at 1 April 2018 there are no direct employees in the core department paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. As at this date there are also no agency staff paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. We do not centrally hold details of the pay levels of staff working for outsourced companies contracted by BEIS. I have asked Chief Executives of the executive agencies to respond directly to the Hon. Member.

Parental Leave: Males

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of men entitled to shared parental leave have taken such leave since its introduction.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government does not routinely collect data on the take up of Shared Parental Leave. However, we have started to evaluate the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes and, subject to the progress of data collection, we anticipate publishing findings in Spring 2019. In the Impact Assessment published in 2013, the Government estimated that 285,000 working couples would be eligible for Shared Parental Leave in each year. Based on information provided by employers to HM Revenue & Customs, Statutory Shared Parental Pay was claimed by the following numbers of individual male employees between April 2015 and January 2018: Tax Year  Number of male recipients of Statutory Shared Parental Pay 2015- 2016 4770*2016-2017 61402017-2018** 5610Notes:*Data collected for 2015-16 does not distinguish between claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Additional Statutory Paternity Pay (its predecessor).**Figure for 2017-2018 does not include data for February and March 2018.

Minerals: Planning

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the relationship between planning and the identification of minerals as a productivity foundation as set out in the Industrial Strategy.

Richard Harrington: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues. This is in addition to official level discussions between BEIS officials and their counterparts in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government on the issue of industrial minerals in construction.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings he has had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Richard Harrington: The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.

Fracking: Lancashire

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has received an application for consent to hydraulic fracturing in respect of Preston New Road, Lancashire.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Insulation: Preston

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department had with Preston City Council on the external cladding installed on the exterior of properties in the Fishwick, St Matthews and Town Centre wards under the Community Energy Saving Programme; and what assessment has been made of whether properties are unsafe to reside in due to risk of fire or mould.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Company Law

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many investigations of breaches of section 1112 of the Companies Act 2006 have been undertaken by Companies House; and how many of those investigations (a) led to companies being dissolved and taken off the register and (b) resulted in Companies House referring the case to prosecutors.

Andrew Griffiths: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Reaction Engines

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government's £60 million investment in the development of an aerospace engine by Reaction Engines Limited; and whether further investment is planned.

Richard Harrington: The Government’s investment is being used by Reaction Engines Limited to fund the development of their aerospace engine – SABRE (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine). Progress is monitored closely by the UK Space Agency and the project is on schedule for testing of the core engine technology in 2020. Confidence in the technology has grown through the £60 million investment from Government, together with the substantial technical progress. This has directly led to Reaction Engines Limited recently securing additional investment from major aerospace companies and financial organisations. No decisions have been made concerning any potential further investment by the Government.

Companies: Registration

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Companies House verify the information provided on who the (a) shareholders and (b) directors are on registration documents.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iron and Steel: Port Talbot

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 107192, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the steel industry about the re-lining of Blast Furnace 5 at Port Talbot; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: We continue to work with Tata Steel, Thyssenkrupp, the Welsh Government and Trade Unions to secure a sustainable future for all of Tata Steel’s UK employees, including those at its Port Talbot primary steelmaking plant. Both Tata and Thyssenkrupp have acknowledged the improved performance at Port Talbot over the past 18 months. As the proposed joint venture between both parties progresses, we will continue to support the commercial decisions made on the forward investment programme for the Port Talbot site.

Small Businesses: Billing

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to encourage the payment of invoices by large firms to small businesses within 30 days; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffiths: The government is clear that large companies should lead by example in paying their suppliers promptly and fairly, and believes that 60 days is the maximum acceptable payment terms in the vast majority of cases. The Prompt Payment Code sets best practice in payment standards and commits signatories to undertake to pay suppliers within a maximum of 60 days, in all but exceptional circumstances, and to work towards adopting 30 days as the norm. Government is supporting businesses, particularly small businesses, throughout the supply chain - the Public Contracts Regulations ensure public sector buyers require 30-day payment terms be passed down the supply chain. At Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced that BEIS will launch a call for evidence to assess what further steps and intervention may be needed to ensure small businesses are not subject to unfair payment practices.

Mental Health: Research

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the Medical Research Council budget was spent on mental health research in each of the last three years to 2017-18.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Medical Research Council’s spend on research relating to directly to mental health and total research spend for 2014/15 to 2016/17 can be found in the table below. Data for 2017/18 is not yet available. YearMental Health Research £mMRC Total Research Expenditure £m2014/15£26m£801m2015/16£25m£928m2016/17£24m£755m

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management: Scotland

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120003, how many photovoltaics installations through Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems there were in each constituency in Scotland.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management: Scotland

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on how many households by Scottish parliamentary constituency accessed green deal finance through Home Energy Lifestyle Management Systems.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Scandinavia: Sami

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations from (a) hon. Members, (b) NGOs or (c) members of the public on the protection of the Sami community in Scandinavia.

Sir Alan Duncan: We are not aware of any such representations.

Scandinavia: Sami

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had any discusisons with his Norwegian, Finnish or Swedish counterparts on the welfare of the Sami people and the protection of their culture.

Sir Alan Duncan: The rights of the Sami people are protected under the laws of Norway, Finland and Sweden. I have therefore not discussed this directly with my ministerial counterparts.

USA: Travel Restrictions

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the US administration on UK nationals who have been refused entry to the US for business or tourism under the visa waiver programme because of dual citizenship with a country on the US travel ban list.

Sir Alan Duncan: We have not made representations on this particular issue because affected individuals can still apply for a visa for travel to the US. US immigration decisions are a matter for the US authorities alone.

Egypt: Human Rights

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions has he had with his Egyptian counterpart on the effect of the introduction of laws on the (a) Protest Law and (b) Assembly Law on human rights in that country.

Alistair Burt: Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly raises concerns about human rights with the Egyptian Government. We are concerned by the increasing restrictions on civil society. The Foreign Secretary issued a statement (available on gov.uk) in response to President Sisi's ratification of the restrictive Non-Government Organisation Law in May 2017. The Foreign Secretary also raised human rights concerns with President Sisi during his visit to Cairo in February of that year. This included emphasising the importance of a free and open society. We will continue to monitor the human rights situation in Egypt, and to urge the Government to ensure the full observance of the rights and freedoms contained in the Egyptian Constitution.

Bahrain: Elections

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, by which benchmarks the Government plan to assess the fairness and outcome of the Bahraini elections due to take place in 2018.

Alistair Burt: We follow closely the political situation in Bahrain and will do so during the upcoming elections. As with all elections in the region and beyond, we will stress to the Government of Bahrain the importance of fair, open and transparent elections.

Bahrain: Prisons

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on trends in the prison conditions for (a) the Bahrain 13 and (b) other prisoners in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: The Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. Where we have concerns on specific issues, including prison conditions, we raise these at an appropriately senior level with the Bahraini authorities. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.The UK's support to Bahrain's reform programme includes strengthening independent oversight bodies such as the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission which provide oversight of police conduct and detention standards.

Bahrain: Torture

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Government of Bahrain on its failure to comply with the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in the matter of the release of people tortured in that country.

Alistair Burt: We encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments. When we had concerns about allegations of torture or mistreatment, we have raised our concerns with the Government of Bahrain. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies, and we encourage swift, transparent conclusions to any investigations.The UK's support to Bahrain's reform programme includes strengthening independent oversight bodies such as the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman and the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission which provide oversight of police conduct and detention standards. The British Government unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. It is a government priority to combat it whever it occurs.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Saudi Government on the implications of its reform programme for Saudi Arabia's influence in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 programme is focused on domestic socio-economic reform. It does not have a foreign policy component.

Ethnic Groups: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of indigenous peoples' rights and culture worldwide.

Mark Field: ​Her Majesty's Government is committed to promoting and defending the human rights of all individuals. As a responsible and committed supporter of the rules-based international system, the UK regularly participates in discussions regarding indigenous peoples in various United Nations fora, including the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018, Spring Statement, HCWS 540, if he will publish a list of where the £29.6 million in EU exit funding for his Department will be allocated.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been allocated £29.6m for essential EU exit preparations in 2018-19. This will be spent on strengthening it's contribution to the Goverment's work, enabling it to develop our diplomatic network so it is better able to engage with our European partners in support of a successful EU Exit. We will also strengthen our bilateral relationships as we prepare to leave the EU, and will increase our staffing in London to work on a range of related issues. As with all Reserve funding, finalised allocations will be confirmed at Supplementary Estimates 2018-19 in early 2019.

South Africa: Crimes Against the Person

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his South African counterpart on attacks against South African farmers.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary has not directly raised this issue with his South African counterpart, Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. However, we remain concerned about the high level of violent crime in South Africa, including in rural and isolated areas such as farms. Our High Commission in South Africa monitors the situation closely and is in contact with the South African law enforcement agencies. The South African Government assures us that tackling crime in all its forms is a high priority.​

South America: Overseas Companies

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK companies operating in (a) Colombia and (b) Peru comply with international standards on preventing negative social and environmental impacts of their operations on local communities.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a strong supporter of the UN's Voluntary Principles (VPs) for Security and Human Rights. The VPs are designed to guide businesses in maintaining safety and security of their operations with respect for human rights and prevent negative impact on local communities.In Colombia, our Embassy has (a) supported a joint declaration with more than 20 British companies as a commitment to the implementation of the Government's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, and (b) projects helping the Government develop the technical expertise to implement this plan and British companies seeking guidance on how to operate in accordance with the VPs.In Peru, our Embassy has been actively supporting the National Human Rights Coordinator on guaranteeing protection for rural communities affected by big companies working in their lands. It participates in the monthly VPs Working Group along with international cooperation, the Government, Civil Society and the Private Sector. Through the Global Britain Fund, our Embassy will support projects that help implement the VPs on Security and Human Rights in Peru. Peru endorses the VPs as a risk management framework and has agreed to join the initiative.

Ahmed Mansoor

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has made representations to the Government of the UAE on the case of the Emirati human rights activist, Ahmed Mansoor.

Alistair Burt: We have raised the case of Ahmed Mansoor with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, most recently on 15 April, and will continue to monitor proceedings.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​All job roles advertised for UK-based staff in 2016 and 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) recruitment policies already comply with the Ban the Box initiative - none of the application forms used to recruit UK-based staff to the FCO require applicants to declare any criminal convictions.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Sir Alan Duncan: As at 16th April 2018, the number of direct employees, agency staff and outsourced staff earning less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage foundation, are as follows:-a) direct employees (UK Based staff) - none;b) agency staff - none;c) outsourced staff (i) Foreign and Commonwealth Office - none, (ii) - agencies - 6.

Torture

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress the Government has made on updating Consolidated Guidance on the use of torture.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Prime Minister made a Written Ministerial Statement on 15 September 2016 informing Parliament that the government would consider what changes could be made to the Consolidated Guidance to address points made by Sir Mark Waller, the then Intelligence Services Commissioner. This work has been taken forward and the government has sought the views of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament on it in the context of their wider Detainee Inquiry. The government will carefully consider the report of the Committee once it is published later this year.

EU Immigration

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to negotiate bilateral alternatives to the EU Mobility Partnerships.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Russia: Diplomatic Relations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomats of the Russian Federation in the UK are based in locations outside London.

Sir Alan Duncan: No diplomatic staff of the Russian Federation are posted in locations in the UK outside London. However the Russia Federation has a Consulate General in Edinburgh with accredited consular staff.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 133856, what was the nature of the broad engagement that the Government had with the wide range of Libyans involved in the conflict against the Qaddafi regime forces.

Alistair Burt: As part of our diplomatic work to better understand and appreciate the political and security landscape in Libya in 2011, Embassy staff had meetings with a wide range of Libyan contacts. These meetings helped us to gain insight into the dynamics in Libya, and to influence interlocutors in line with UK policy, as is common practice across the diplomatic network.

Vietnam: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Vietnamese counterpart on recent reports of people in the North West Province who have converted to Christianity having been subjected to an attack and their homes destroyed.

Mark Field: ​I am aware of reports of an incident in North West Province of Vietnam in March this year, during which several individuals were injured. The British Government is firmly committed to standing up for freedom of religion, and for individuals to practice their beliefs free from fear. We regularly use our high level discussions with the Vietnamese Government to stress the need for respect for the human rights commitments enshrined within both Vietnam's own 2013 constitution and the international commitments to which Vietnam is party.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Israeli Government on the killing and wounding of Palestinian citizens during the Great March of Return; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​Both the Minister responsible for Human Rights and I have raised the recent deaths and injuries, suffered during protests in Gaza, with the Israeli authorities. We have urged Israel to show restraint and the Palestinians to ensure that future protests are peaceful. There is an urgent need to establish the facts, including why such a volume of live fire was used and what role Hamas played in the events. We welcome Israel’s commitment to investigate the conduct of operations, and urge that the findings of this investigation be made public. If wrongdoing is found, those responsible should be held to account. We remain concerned about an escalation in violence in the lead up to mid-May, and urge all parties to de-escalate the situation.

Michelle Samaraweera

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter that the Prime Minister sent to the Prime Minister of India on the extradition of the person who killed Michelle Samaraweera referred to in his Department's letter of 8 September 2016 to the hon. Member for Walthamstow.

Mark Field: I can confirm that the then Prime Minister David Cameron wrote to Prime Minister Modi on 17 June 2016. The letter covered a range of issues on which the British Government was engaging the Indian Government at the time, including extradition. I can also confirm the then Prime Minister did raise Michelle Samaraweera's case with Prime Minister Modi.I can assure the Hon Lady that the British Government has continued to press the Indian Government to accelerate Mr Vyas' extradition hearing. Our High Commission officials raised this point with the Indian Government most recently in the margins of the latest hearing on 16 April.

Western Sahara: Peacekeeping Operations

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will help ensure the UN peacekeeping mission to Western Sahara is given a mandate to monitor and report on human rights abuses in the region at the next meeting of the UN Security Council.

Alistair Burt: We are working with our UN Security Council partners to ensure that the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) continues to enable it to promote peace and security in Western Sahara. We have consistently supported language in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions to encourage the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Natural Resources

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Moroccan counterpart on the extraction of natural resources from occupied Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: We do not consider that Western Sahara is occupied; we consider that its status is undetermined. We look to all parties in Western Sahara, including businesses, to conduct their activities in accordance with international law, respecting the interests of the people of Western Sahara. I discussed with the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Mr Nasser Bourita, in January the UK's desire for a lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the dispute over Western Sahara that provides for the self-determination of the people of the territory.

Western Sahara: Referendums

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his officials will call for a date to be set for a free and fair referendum to be carried out in Western Sahara at the next meeting of the UN Security Council.

Alistair Burt: We are working with our UN Security Council partners to support the UN-led process to reach a solution to the dispute over Western Sahara. The UK wants to see a lasting and mutually acceptable solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. It is for the parties to the dispute to agree a solution.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Belfast Agreement

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent steps the Government has taken to ensure the maintenance of the Good Friday Agreement in negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The principles set out in the Joint Report issued by the UK and the EU reinforce the UK Government’s consistent objectives on the Belfast Agreement. From the Prime Minister’s Article 50 letter through to our August position paper of last year and the Prime Minister’s speech at Mansion House, all make clear our steadfast commitment to protecting the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement in all its parts.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union was set up in June 2016 based on Cabinet Office principles and guidelines and operates a recruitment process in line with the Ban the Box principles. Recruitment into the department from the external market commenced in November 2016, with campaigns run by Civil Service Resourcing, and all roles have been advertised in line with the Ban the Box initiative.The Department for Exiting the European Union is committed to improving diversity of opportunity and creating an inclusive working environment that attracts the best talent from the widest possible pool.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union,  how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Mr Steve Baker: I can confirm that all staff directly employed by the Department for Exiting the European Union are paid in line with the Government’s National Living Wage. All staff are paid in line with the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. The Department does not hold information relating to the rate of pay for those employed by third party agency or outsourcing arrangements as these would be held locally by the relevant organisations.

EURATOM

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent steps the Government has taken to secure a formal agreement with Euratom after the UK leaves the EU and the expiry of the implementation period.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been clear that we want the broadest and deepest possible future partnership – covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today. In particular, as confirmed in the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech, the Government will seek a close association with Euratom. We are pleased that the March European Council agreed guidelines for the next stage of negotiations on this future relationship.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings he has had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the European Union does not collect or publish its own statistics and hence our use of different classifications will be determined by the data sources provided to us by other Government departments. The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller.Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data. Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for Exiting the European Union: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting European Union has only existed as a Department for 20 months and as such does not have a bespoke IT system (or Systems). The Department’s IT is hosted by the Cabinet Office and uses their OFFICIAL Platform. I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question 136126 from the Cabinet Office where they have provided the details of their approach to updating and patching.

Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what progress the cross-Whitehall workstream has made since January 2018 on realising the opportunities to regulate (a) social, (b) environmental, (c) energy, (d) consumer and (e) product standards differently after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Suella Braverman: The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis that contributes to our exit negotiations with the EU. It is not standard practice to provide a running commentary on continuing, internal analysis. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that could reveal our negotiating position.

Agriculture

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the document EU Exit Analysis Cross Whitehall Briefing, dated January 2018, what assumptions were made when modelling for the impact on gross value added in the agriculture sector of exiting the EU under a Free Trade Agreement scenario.

Mr Robin Walker: Leaving the European Union means leaving the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). We now want to take the opportunities leaving brings to reform the UK’s agricultural policy and ensure we make the most of these for our farmers and exporters. The document to which the Honourable Member’s question refers is preliminary draft analysis and does not represent Government policy. As Ministers clearly set out in the House, this is provisional and incomplete internal work, part of a broad ongoing programme of analysis, and further work is in train. It is analysis of existing trade relationships - none of which is the outcome we are working towards. As the Prime Minister has made clear, we are seeking the broadest and deepest possible partnership with the EU – covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today.

Brexit

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134796 on Brexit, whether that analysis will include an economic assessment of the final deal reached between the UK and the EU.

Suella Braverman: As set out in our response to Question 134796, it remains the Government’s position that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis on which to make an informed decision. This will be the right time for the Government to present its work.

Department of Health and Social Care

Heart Diseases

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the use of personal fitness trackers on the prevention of cardio-vascular conditions.

Steve Brine: NHS England is working with the National Institute for Health Research, Public Health England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence amongst others to develop suitable evidence generation plans for digital health tools, which will include wearables. Evaluation and evidence gathering is included as part of relevant programmes to help build the currently immature evidence pool in this space. NHS England and partner organisations have also established assessment criteria for digital tool developers looking at the quality, safety and effectiveness of digital health and care apps or tools. The service is due to go live towards the end of 2018 on the developer apps section of the National Health Service website. In addition, as part of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, NHS England has pilots in hand to test the effectiveness of digital apps in supporting diabetes prevention, which are due to report by the end of 2019. They include consideration of the use of wearable technologies and fitness apps in supporting reduction of diabetes risk. It should be noted that many of the potential benefits of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme lie in reducing future cardiovascular events. Cardiovascular disease prevention is also a key theme in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View and their NHS RightCare programme, and both NHS England and Public Health England already have a number of initiatives in place in line with this aim, including the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Optimal Value Pathway, cross-cutting interventions such as the NHS Health Check, and a new drive announced in September 2017 to prevent heart attacks and strokes by taking a more integrated approach to cardiovascular care.

Patients: Nutrition

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups provide access to medical nutrition for all patients in their area for whom it is recommended by clinical guidelines.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of integrating nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways for patients.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse from the integration of nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways.

Steve Brine: NHS England published guidance on ‘Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration’ in October 2015. This can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/nut-hyd/ NHS England has no plans to issue any further guidance at this time. The implementation of this guidance is a matter for the local National Health Service. NHS England has advised that no broader assessment has been made of the merits of integrating nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways for patients or the potential savings to the public purse from the integration of nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways.

Health: Equipment

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of wearable health monitoring devices to preventative health care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is working with the National Institute for Health Research, Public Health England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence amongst others to develop plans to generate evidence about the benefits of digital health apps, which will include wearables. NHS England and partner organisations have established assessment criteria to look at the quality, safety and effectiveness of digital health and care apps.

Carers

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help local councils improve support for carers in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) rural communities.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to continuing to support carers to provide care as they would wish, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing, employment and other life chances. The Government is committed to supporting carers, and doing so in a way that supports them to maintain their own health and wellbeing and other life chances. The Care Act 2014 introduced important new rights for carers putting them on the same footing as the people they care for. This includes legal rights to an assessment of, and support for, their needs where eligible. Carers are vital partners in our health and care system and that is why carers will be a fundamental part of our upcoming Green Paper on care and support for older people. Ahead of the Green Paper’s publication, the Department will also shortly be publishing an Action Plan on carers, setting out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years. The Government is also committed to supporting local areas to better plan and prioritise public services for the benefit of their local populations, including those living in rural communities.

Leukaemia: Medical Treatments

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings he has had with representatives of blood cancer patients to discuss the availability of treatment options on the NHS for patients diagnosed with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Steve Brine: No such meetings have taken place.

Leukaemia: Medical Treatments

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of treatment options for patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the (a) UK and (b) EU countries.

Steve Brine: No such assessment has been made. There is a well-established framework for enabling access to cost effective new cancer medicines in England. All new licensed cancer medicines are referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for inclusion within the Technology Appraisal Programme, this referral is irrespective of the clinical indication concerned. Where cancer medicines are approved by NICE for use in England, NHS England makes these available immediately. NICE now also has the ability to refer licensed medicines demonstrating promising, but not yet certain, benefits for inclusion within the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Rare Diseases

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of (a) the accuracy of NICE's calculation of the wider value of (i) rare disease and (ii) rarer cancer treatments and (b) the extent to which NICE accounts in that calculation for (A) additional medical benefits, (B) wider economic consequences and (C) social impact costs.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources. NICE’s methods and processes for the assessment of drugs have been carefully developed over time and are internationally respected. NICE continues to keep its procedures under periodic review to ensure that they remain effective and fit for purpose. In developing guidance on drugs and other treatments through its technology appraisal programme, NICE routinely takes into account all health-related costs and benefits relating to the treatment. NICE may also take into account wider costs and benefits where relevant in making its recommendations.

Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 119731 on Pneumoccocol Diseases: Vaccination, whether NHS England is responsible for funding the vaccination of adults who have undergone stem cell transplantation under paragraph 4.2 of the NHS public health functions agreement 2017-18: Service specification no.8 Pneumococcal immunisation programme.

Steve Brine: NHS England is responsible for the delivery of vaccinations to those undergoing stem cell transplants (under the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination immunosuppressed indications) as part of the Public Health functions agreement section 7a. The funding is via the directly enhanced services, whereby the first dose delivered has an automatic payment. Where a patient requires additional pneumococcal vaccination (if severely immunosuppressed) the specialist clinicians are expected to use their discretion and deliver this or advise the general practitioner to deliver. The practice is required to make arrangements with their local commissioners with regards to payment.

Care Homes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to provide funding for the building of new care homes for elderly people.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities in England to promote a diverse, sustainable, high quality market of care and support providers for people in their local area to meet their needs. We have given local authorities in England access to up to £9.4 billion over the next three years to maintain access for our growing aging population and allow councils to sustain a diverse care market including care home places. In addition, the Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper by summer 2018 setting out its proposals to improve the social care system, to put it on a more secure financial footing.

Lymphoedema

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) diagnosis rates and (b) access to treatment for lymphoedema in (i) Oxfordshire and (ii) England.

Steve Brine: The commissioning of services for the treatment and care of lymphoedema patients is a local matter. People with lymphoedema can usually be managed through routine access to primary or secondary care services. There is a range of guidance to support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment and support of patients with lymphoedema and to support local commissioning: this includes an international consensus document and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Lymphoedema is also identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Applied Knowledge Test content guide; a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom which is a key part of GPs’ qualifying exams. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that it has invested in lymphoedema services over the past two years to enhance the patient experience and to provide a wider range of treatments to support patients, and that the Trust supports the wider Thames Valley regional network in educating and sharing experience.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Baroness Cumberlege plans consult patient groups and affected people before the Medicines and Medical Devices Review commences; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We anticipate that Baroness Cumberlege will wish to engage with patient groups and other stakeholders from the early stages and throughout the course of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review. The Review is, however, independent of the Department, and such decisions are a matter for its Chair, Baroness Cumberlege.

Nurses: Training

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) commissioned and (b) received data from UCAS on the number of applicants for university nursing courses in England in the current 2018 undergraduate cycle by (i) by field of nursing and (ii) English region.

Stephen Barclay: Health Education England commissioned data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for the 2018 application cycle and these data were received by the Department for ongoing monitoring of nursing applications. These data were shared by UCAS under an agreement that requires data be kept in confidence and used for internal purposes only. The Department is working with UCAS to agree a timetable that would enable these data to be available once the current application cycle finishes in autumn 2018.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on 2 February 2018 to Question 125524, on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, for reason that data is not available.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital holds Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data, however, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is not classifiable within the ICD10 clinical coding used in HES. Additionally, HES data only captures information on those patients who have received hospital treatment which would not apply for all patients with a diagnosis.

Surgical Mesh Implants

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of including laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy within the ongoing review into medicines and medical devices safety.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We anticipate that the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review will wish to examine, among other things, the concerns that have been raised about the use of mesh, including ventral mesh rectopexy surgery. The Review is, however, independent of the Department, and such decisions are a matter for its Chair, Baroness Cumberlege.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made representations to clinical commissioning groups encouraging them to offer the Freestyle Libre blood glucose monitoring system to people living with diabetes as a result of the NHS Business Service Authority’s decision to approve the system for prescription on the NHS.

Steve Brine: The flash glucose testing monitoring system known as Freestyle Libre was approved for reimbursement on National Health Service prescription from 1 November 2017 through its listing in Part IX of the NHS England and Wales Drug Tariff. The listing of a medical device in the Drug Tariff should not be interpreted as a recommendation to prescribe a particular product. Flash glucose testing is not suitable for everyone. The Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee has issued advice on the use of Freestyle Libre to support decisions about its use. Patients will need to discuss the ongoing management of their condition with their healthcare professional and consider whether flash glucose monitoring is suitable for them. The Department has no plans to ask clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to review their prescribing policies or monitor access to flash glucose monitoring. Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for CCGs, who are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines. This includes determining whether specific technologies, such as flash glucose monitoring, form part of their service and if it is suitable for individual patients to support the ongoing management of their condition.

Hepatitis: Greater Manchester

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to  devolve funding for hepatitis C services to Greater Manchester under the devolution agreement.

Steve Brine: NHS England is working closely with Greater Manchester to maximise the opportunities of devolution in respect of access to, and outcomes of, hepatitis C services. NHS England will continue to work in support of Greater Manchester’s ambition to be the first city to eliminate hepatitis C in the context of NHS England’s own plan to secure a long term industry deal for the early elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat. Dedicated funds for hepatitis C services were not delegated to Greater Manchester under the 2016 Health and Social Care Devolution Agreement.

Paramedical Staff

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include paramedics in the list of healthcare students eligible for the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Stephen Barclay: The NHS Learning Support Fund was developed in recognition of the compulsory clinical placement hours that student nurses, midwives and allied health professions within the scope of the reforms implemented in August 2017 need to complete in order to graduate from their courses. The route into paramedicine currently has various education and funding models. Therefore, paramedic training was not included in the scope of the reforms implemented in 2017.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the ban on below-cost sales of alcohol on alcohol-related hospital admissions since the introduction of that ban.

Steve Brine: The Department commissioned an evidence review from Public Health England (PHE) on the public health burden of alcohol, which was published in 2016. This report was a comprehensive review of available evidence, which included the availability of alcohol and its impact on various socioeconomic groups. The report is available to view online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583047/alcohol_public_health_burden_evidence_review.pdf No specific assessment has been made on the effect of the ban on below-cost sales of alcohol on alcohol-related hospital admissions since its introduction. However the PHE review estimated that the ban has prevented 14 deaths and 500 alcohol-related admissions to hospital per annum.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of or received legal advice on the implications for patients of non-compliance with part (9)(43)(3) of The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012, which states that a relevant body must make arrangements to ensure that at the end of each data collection period not less than 92 per cent of the persons falling within paragraph 4 have been waiting to commence treatment for less than 18 weeks.

Stephen Barclay: No such assessment has been made. The Government has made clear to NHS England that the Referral to Treatment standard, as described in The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2015, is nothing less than the statutory standard.

NHS: Land

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24633, whether his Department has collected data on the number of units of (a) housing and (b) affordable housing built on each parcel of NHS land sold in London since 2016.

Stephen Barclay: The Department does not collect or hold these data. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is responsible for the Public Land for Housing programme. The aim of the programme is to release land with capacity for at least 160,000 homes in England from the central government estate by 31 March 2020. MHCLG is now monitoring the progress of sites sold through both the 2011-15 and 2015-20 Public Land for Housing Programmes, in order to estimate the number of homes under construction and completed. Affordable housing provision on any given site will be decided at a local level, by the local authority in line with their policies and local affordable housing requirements.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department is providing to people unable to access the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact Trial due to sites being oversubscribed.

Steve Brine: The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact Trial is a research study that aims to recruit 10,000 participants over its three years to address outstanding questions regarding PrEP eligibility, uptake and duration of use, and impact on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. All oversubscribed sites are asked to direct clinic attendees wishing to access PrEP to the trial website where information is posted on the nearest clinic that is open to recruitment. The website is available at the following link: https://www.prepimpacttrial.org.uk/

Department of Health and Social Care: Public Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018, Spring Statement, HCWS 540, if he will publish a list of where the £21.1 million in EU exit funding for his Department will be allocated.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has been allocated £21.1 million for staff to support essential European Union exit preparations in 2018-19. This will include ongoing work in all relevant areas of the Department, such as reciprocal healthcare, ensuring that the safety of both United Kingdom and EU patients is protected. As with all Reserve funding, finalised allocations will be confirmed at Supplementary Estimates 2018-19 in early 2019. There are no plans to publish a detailed list.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Clinics

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the provision of services provided by sexual health clinics of moving responsibility for and funding of those clinics to local authorities.

Steve Brine: The delivery of open access sexual health services is mandated for all local authorities. Sexual and Reproductive Health Profiles have been developed by Public Health England (PHE) to support local authorities, public health leads and other interested parties to monitor the sexual and reproductive health of their population and the contribution of local public health related systems. The Department closely monitors the range of indicators and outcomes at national level. Progress continues to be made: for example, in 2016, more people than ever were tested for sexually transmitted infections and the number of people infected fell, the under-18 conception rate in 2016 was 18.9 conceptions per thousand women aged 15 to 17 years; this is the lowest rate recorded since comparable statistics were first produced in 1969, declining by 10% since 2015 and 45% since 2010. The United Kingdom is one of the first countries in Europe to witness a substantive decline in HIV diagnoses. In 2016, 5,164 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in the UK (3,938 men and 1,226 women), representing an 18% decline from the 6,286 diagnoses reported in 2015. The decrease was most apparent in gay and bisexual men. In this group, the number of HIV diagnoses reported steadily increased from 2,850 in 2007 to 3,570 in 2015, and then decreased by 21% to 2,810 in 2016.

Halton Clinical Commissioning Group

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 134090, whether the previous interim chief officer will return to Halton Clinical Commissioning Group as interim chief officer after the end of the secondment.

Steve Brine: NHS England has advised that interim arrangements have been put in place at the clinical commissioning group, which will allow for the chief officer to return to their post at the end of the secondment.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) men and (b) women aged (i) 10-20, (ii) 21-30, (iii) 31-40, (iv) 41-50, (v) 51-60, (vi) 61-70 and (vii) over 80 years were diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: This data is not available. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published best practice guidance for the diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Prevalence in the general population is estimated between 10% and 20%. IBS most often affects people between the ages of 20 and 30 years and is twice as common in women as in men.

Epilepsy: Death

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Public Health England report on deaths associated with neurological conditions in England 2001-14, what steps he is taking to reduce deaths associated with epilepsy.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of (a) access to healthcare and (b) socioeconomic inequality on epilepsy mortality rates; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Public Health England (PHE) report ‘Deaths associated with neurological conditions in England 2001 to 2014’, was developed by PHE’s Neurology Intelligence Network (NIN), and published on 27 February 2018. The report found that a greater proportion of epilepsy related deaths occur in areas of higher levels of deprivation. The rate of deaths associated with epilepsy in areas ranked as the most deprived in England is almost three times larger than in the least deprived; 13 deaths per 100,000 population compared to five deaths per 100,000 population. A copy of the report can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-associated-with-neurological-conditions Wider research has shown that epilepsy prevalence varies with social deprivation, but this is not well understood, and it is not clear whether this inequality in mortality is the consequence of the increased prevalence seen in deprived areas, of poor care, or both. However, deprivation is a well-known determinant of poor general health, and although there is insufficient evidence to describe the relationship as causal, it underlines the health inequalities link in relation to epilepsy related deaths. The Government is acting broadly to reduce health inequalities by addressing the social causes of ill health, promoting healthier lifestyles for all and tackling differences in outcomes of NHS services, all underpinned by legal duties. Through the Mandate the Government has asked NHS England to ensure service commissioning focuses on measurable reductions in inequalities in access to health services, in people’s experience of the health system, and across a specified range of health outcomes which contribute to reducing inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. National and local outcomes frameworks feature indicators to measure improvements across a range of areas, including inequalities, and the Mandate asks NHS England to do more in increasing the transparency on services and outcomes that these frameworks provide. At a national level, NHS England is the organisation responsible for securing and supporting high quality outcomes for people with epilepsy, and the vast majority of services for people with the condition are planned and commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups. Action is led locally to ensure the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities. NHS England’s Rightcare programme provides practical support to local commissioners to tackle unwarranted variation, including in services for neurological conditions like epilepsy. NHS England is also working with the Neurological Alliance to support a new Neurology Advisory Group, led by Professor Adrian Williams, to align work across the system to improve neurological care. In addition to developing the neurology mortality report, PHE’s NIN provides a broad range of data on disease, services and outcomes, including for epilepsy, to support local commissioners to benchmark services and drive improvement. The new neurology mortality report will provide further focus for commissioners in considering whether there are any changes they need to make in terms of service planning and provision, including around the inequality issues identified.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of visits to accident and emergency departments were for minor ailments (a) in total, (b) by each strategic health authority until their abolition and (c) by each clinical commissioning group since they were set up in England in each year since 2006.

Stephen Barclay: Information is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes monthly data on the number of attendances at Type 3 accident and emergency (A&E) departments (other A&E departments/Minor Injury Units). This is available at national and trust level in each year from 2010-11 via the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2017-18/

General Practitioners

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of GP appointments for minor ailments that could have been treated at home or with advice from a pharmacy (a) in total, (b) by each strategic health authority until their abolition and (c) by each clinical commissioning group since they were set up in England in each year since 2006.

Steve Brine: NHS England does not hold the requested level of detail in respect to general practitioner (GP) appointments. It has therefore not been possible to consider each GP appointment and make a judgement as to whether the patient could/should have been treated at home or by a pharmacy.

Postnatal Care

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to add the maternal six week postnatal check to the General Medical Contract as recommended by the National Childbirth Trust.

Steve Brine: Currently, the Department has no plans to add the maternal six week postnatal check to the General Medical Services Contract as recommended by the National Childbirth Trust. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, Postnatal care up to 8 weeks after birth states “At the end of the postnatal period, the coordinating healthcare professional should ensure that the woman’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing is reviewed.” NHS England expects commissioners and providers of maternity care to pay due regard to the NICE guidelines.

Drugs: Prices

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to adopt the Scottish model of tariff-setting for specials.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the process is for setting the Specials Drug Tariff; and who is responsible for implementing that tariff.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the costs of specials dispensed in community pharmacies.

Steve Brine: Since 2011 for the most commonly prescribed specials, a reimbursement price, which is determined by the Secretary of State, is listed in the Drug Tariff. We have continued to expand the number of products for which there is a reimbursement price listed in the Drug Tariff by prioritising products of the highest cost to the National Health Service or highest prescribing volume, thus reducing the cost and the variation in what the NHS pays. These reimbursement prices are set by using data from specials suppliers. The powers in the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017 enable the Government to reimburse for specials dispensed in primary care in different ways such as considering quotes of suppliers and not reimbursing pharmacies at all if, for example, they have been provided the medicine by a central service. Any proposals to implement changes will be subject to consultation with relevant stakeholders. Further to the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017, the Government ran a consultation on new Regulations for the provision of information about health service products. We are finalising the Regulations which are expected to be laid and enter into force later in 2018. The Information Regulations include requirements in relation to special medicinal products which will ensure that the Government obtains information from all manufacturers and importers. This information will make the reimbursement arrangements for the most commonly used special medicinal products more robust. However, where there are concerns about an individual price, it will also enable us to request from suppliers information on the costs of supplying a product.

Orkambi

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with Vertex on the cost supplying the drug Orkambi to the NHS.

Steve Brine: NHS England is currently seeking to continue discussions with Vertex to agree a deal that would make Orkambi available to National Health Service patients. The Department recognises the importance of patients with cystic fibrosis being able to benefit from clinically and cost effective treatments, and is keen for dialogue between Vertex and NHS England to continue. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord O’Shaughnessy) and I have written to Vertex, the manufacturer of Orkambi, to encourage expedition of the negotiations with NHS England and to set out the need to resolve this matter urgently. A copy of the letter is attached.



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Lymphoedema

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions the Government plans to put in place to help people who have Lymphedema.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support the Government provides to people who have Lymphedema.

Steve Brine: The commissioning of services for the treatment and care of lymphoedema patients is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups, who are best placed to meet the needs of their populations. People with lymphoedema can usually be treated through routine access to primary or secondary care services. There is range of guidance, including an international consensus document and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, to support local commissioning.

Social Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much time it took on average to complete an assessment of an individual's social care needs (a) nationally, (b) in West Yorkshire and (c) in Hemsworth constituency in 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has not made an estimate of how much time it took on average to complete an assessment of an individual’s social care needs nationally, in West Yorkshire or in Hemsworth constituency in 2018. The Care Act 2014 states that where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, these must be met by their local authority. From the person or carer’s very first contact with the local authority, they must be given as much information as possible about the assessment process, as early as possible, to ensure a personalised approach to the assessment. The guidance states an assessment should be carried out over an appropriate and reasonable timescale taking into account the urgency of needs and a consideration of any fluctuation in those needs. Local authorities should inform the individual of an indicative timescale over which their assessment will be conducted and keep the person informed throughout the assessment process.

Continuing Care

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people (a) applied for and (b) were granted continuing healthcare in 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: During 2017 there were 168,590 new referrals for a NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment, of which 104,272 were assessed as eligible, leading to an ‘indicative conversion rate’ of 62%. This includes both ‘fast-track’ and ‘standard’ NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments. It should be noted that the conversion rate is ‘indicative’ in the sense that some of the people assessed as eligible will have been referred for their assessment during the previous year, or will receive their eligibility decision in the subsequent year. It should also be noted that some referrals will be for individuals who never receive an assessment, for example, if the individual has died.

Healthy Start Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the take-up of Healthy Start vouchers in England, and if he will published the ten local authorities with the (a) lowest and (b) highest rates of take-up of those vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The take-up rate for Healthy Start vouchers in England is currently 64%. The lowest and highest rates of Healthy Start vouchers take-up can be seen in the following table: Local Authority% Take UpLocal Authority% Take UpLowest take upHighest take upDevon56%Hartlepool84%Hampshire56%Newcastle upon Tyne82%Hertfordshire55%Halton82%Surrey54%Bath and North East Somerset81%Bracknell Forest54%Redcar and Cleveland77%Redbridge54%Middlesbrough75%Rutland53%Gateshead75%Buckinghamshire52%Stockton-on-Tees75%Wokingham52%Swindon74%Windsor and Maidenhead47%Nottingham74%Source: Validated but unpublished information on Healthy Start vouchers from an approved statistical collection.

Healthy Start Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the sharing of best practice among local authorities on maximising the take-up of Healthy Start vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is working to ensure that eligible families are aware of the Healthy Start scheme and how this will benefit them. The scheme is promoted through the Healthy Start and Start4Life websites, reminding families to take up the vouchers. The Healthy Start Issuing Unit is also proactive in identifying and making contact with families who may be eligible for Healthy Start. At a local level, midwives, health visitors and local authorities play a key role in promoting awareness of the scheme.

Dermatitis

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of adults with atopic dermatitis in (a) Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency, (b) England and (c) the UK.

Steve Brine: This data is not available, however, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema) is a common skin condition that affects between 2–10% of adults.

Skin Diseases

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure patients in England with (a) skin conditions and (b) atopic dermatitis are able to access to new innovative treatments.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE has published a range of guidance products for the management of skin conditions, including technology appraisals, guidelines and quality standards, which can be accessed at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/skin-conditions/skin-conditions--general-and-other#technology-appraisal-guidance National Health Service commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance. The Government takes the issue of ensuring rapid access to innovative therapies very seriously, which is why on 3 November 2017, we published our response to the Accelerated Access Review. We set out plans to give patients quicker access to life-changing treatments and make the United Kingdom the best place in the world for industry to invest and innovate.

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme in ensuring that patients have access to promising and innovative medicines as early as possible.

Steve Brine: Since the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) was launched in 2014, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has awarded 50 promising innovative medicines designations and 21 positive scientific opinions as part of the scheme. NHS England records show that 1,100 patients in England have accessed treatment through EAMS. Since the publication of the independent review of the EAMS the Government has made a number of improvements. Partners have worked together to provide updated guidance on the benefits and entry requirements for EAMS and are developing further guidance on collecting real world data in the National Health Service to further inform value assessment in a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal. We have also established the EAMS task group to provide a forum for industry to engage and make suggestions to the Government, the devolved administrations and arm’s length bodies regarding EAMS as per the recommendations of the 2016 review. We are also applying the learning from EAMs to the development of the Accelerated Access Pathway. Due to launch shortly, this will be a streamlined route to market which will help get the most innovative treatments to patients faster.

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme in encouraging pharmaceutical companies to launch promising and innovative medicines in the UK.

Steve Brine: The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy set out our vision of being a world-leader in developing and bringing to market innovative medicines to improve life-chances of United Kingdom patients. It highlighted the importance of evolving and simplifying the access system for new medicines by implementing, and building on, the findings of the Accelerated Access Review. The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) is an essential part of delivering on this ambition. It has been effective in encouraging companies to bring their products to the UK and market them. The figures below show increasing engagement from industry as the scheme has progressed. Year2014/152015/162016/172017/18Number of Promising Innovative Medicines awarded861720Number of Scientific Opinions awarded1837 The EAMS task group has been established to provide a forum for industry to engage with the Government, the devolved administrations and arm’s length bodies, driving further improvements to the scheme and making the UK a more attractive place to test and deliver new pharmaceuticals.

Dental Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve access to NHS dentistry services in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Steve Brine: NHS England has a legal duty to commission National Health Service dental services to meet the needs of the local population. NHS England (Yorkshire and the Humber) has been reviewing how it can improve access to NHS dentists across the region, prioritising areas where access is particularly difficult. It hopes to be in a position to formally announce final details soon.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to raise (a) awareness of and (b) accessibility to support for people suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Steve Brine: Information is available for the general public via the NHS Choices website on myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning many healthcare services to meet the needs and requirements of their local population including those for people with ME/CFS. In doing so, CCGs will commission services that reflect the needs of local people and that support improvements in health and healthcare outcomes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) clinical guidance on ME/CFS sets out best practice for treatment, care and support. On 20 September 2017, NICE announced its decision to undertake a full update of this guideline, following a review of the latest available evidence on the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME and a public consultation. More information can be found at the following links: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53 www.nice.org.uk/news/article/nice-to-begin-review-of-its-guidance-on-the-diagnosis-and-treatment-of-cfs-me

Dental Services

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discounted rates for dental treatment are available for people on the basis of (a) protected characteristics, (b) pregnancy and (c) low income.

Steve Brine: Exemptions to National Health Service dental charges ensure that cost is not a barrier to accessing NHS dental treatement for the most vulnerable. Protected characteristics include age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation. Not all individuals with protected characteristics are automatically entitled to help with health costs for NHS dental treatment as a result of their protected characteristics alone. However individuals with protected characteristics may qualify for help with health for other reasons. People who are aged under 18, under 19 in full time education and for those who are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months are exempt from NHS dental patient charges. Individuals who are on low incomes and are claiming Income Support, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, Universal Credit are also exempt from dental charges. The NHS Low Income Scheme may also provide full or partial help with the cost of treatment for those who do not qualify for free NHS dental treatments but have a low income.

Breastfeeding

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of breast pumps in (a) maternity and (b) neo-natal units.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all (a) maternity and (b) neo-natal units have an adequate provision of breast pumps.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No assessment has been made centrally. It is for local healthcare providers to commission services and equipment to meet the needs of their population, including the provision of breast pumps in maternity and neo-natal units.

Breastfeeding

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking in response to the finding of the National Maternity Review that 90 per cent of women stopped breastfeeding before they wanted to.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to supporting breastfeeding, as the health benefits are clear for mothers and their babies. We would still like to see more mothers breastfeeding and doing so for longer. Breastfeeding is one of the six high-impact areas for health visiting outlined in the Healthy Child Programme which mandates that all parents receive five universal health visitor checks before their child reaches two and a half years old. Support and information is also available to parents and health professionals through NHS Choices, the National Breastfeeding Helpline, UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, the Start4Life Information Service for parents which includes an interactive Facebook Messenger ‘chatbot’ that provides live breastfeeding support to new mums at any time of day, and local peer support parents. Later this year, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will publish its report on Feeding in the First Year of Life and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will update its guidelines on maternal and infant feeding. This will provide us with opportunities to review current actions and identify further measures. Public Health England (PHE) is working with Yale University on a global research project that involves working with Governments to scale up their breastfeeding strategies and is supported by World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. This work will help inform PHE’s work to improve breastfeeding rates through the Maternity Transformation Programme, the Best Start in Life programme and PHE/WHO’s Public Health Collaborating Centre.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what resources he plans to commit his Department and its agencies to provide to improve patient safety and engage with health professionals to raise awareness of the potential health risks for women of child-bearing age taking Sodium Valproate; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been working in partnership with the Department, professional bodies and the healthcare system to bring together a package of measures to raise awareness of the significant risks associated with sodium valproate in pregnancy and to support healthcare professionals in reducing the harms from valproate in women of child-bearing age. All parties involved are fully committed to this important work using the existing resources of each relevant organisation. The new measures include updated educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients and will be communicated through the MHRA bulletin and letters to healthcare professionals through the NHS Central Alerting System. The information cascade will be supported by messages from professional bodies, charities and patient groups to their constituents and reinforced through changes to clinical guidelines and improved alerts on general practitioner prescribing systems. The effectiveness of the new measures in changing prescribing of valproate will be closely monitored. Relevant data will be published and there will be ongoing follow up to ensure that the harms to the child from valproate in pregnancy are minimised.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the NHS to meet the target for referral to treatment in less than 18 weeks.

Stephen Barclay: The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2018-19 continues to set NHS England an objective to maintain and improve performance against core patient access standards. This includes a clear expectation that the statutory referral to treatment standard should be met. The Government expects NHS England and NHS Improvement to deliver the actions in the NHS Planning Guidance for 2018-19 as key steps towards fully recovering performance against these standards.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the NHS next to meet its target relating to A&E waiting times of less than four hours.

Stephen Barclay: ‘The Government's mandate to NHS England for 2018-19’ sets out that aggregate performance in accident and emergency departments in England should be above 90% in September 2018, with the majority of trusts meeting 95% in March 2019 and aggregate performance in England at 95% within the course of 2019.

Health Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted any impact assessments on the effect on the healthcare system in the UK of the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is committed to ensuring leaving the European Union is a success for the health and social care sector as well as the United Kingdom as a whole. Impact Assessments, typically related to specific new primary legislation before Parliament, are narrowly defined. For example, the Government laid an impact assessment alongside the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which can be found on our website through the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/628004/2017-07-12_repeal_bill_impact_assessment__1_.pdf Civil servants conduct any Impact Assessments related to legislation as business as usual. All policy teams in my Department have conducted assessments of the implications of Brexit and continue to plan for all scenarios.

Coeliac Disease: Children

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to reintroduce prescriptions for gluten-free products for children who have coeliac disease.

Steve Brine: A range of staple gluten free foods continue to be available on prescription for all patients with established gluten sensitivity enteropathies, including coeliac disease.

Caesarean Sections

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential benefits of vaginal seeding for children born by caesarean section.

Jackie Doyle-Price: At this time, the Department has made no assessment of the potential benefits of vaginal seeding for children born by caesarean section.

Spinal Injuries

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the effect on people with spinal cord injuries resulting from the planned NHS Continuing Healthcare budget savings of £855 million by 2020-21.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England’s NHS Continuing Healthcare Strategic Improvement Programme aims to provide fair access to NHS Continuing Healthcare in a way which ensures better outcomes, better experience, and better use of resources. The programme does not aim to reduce spending on NHS Continuing Healthcare, but to reduce the rate of growth of expenditure. The projection is for spending on NHS Continuing Healthcare to increase by over 20% by 2020/21, or an average of approximately 3.9% per year. It is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups to commission NHS Continuing Healthcare packages of care appropriate to the needs of individuals, and for assessing the impact of their funding decisions. Eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare is based on needs and is not specific to any particular condition or diagnosis.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to promote timely and accurate diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase (a) access to and (b) use of faecal calprotectin in primary care in cases where inflammatory bowel disease is suspected.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to improve the training for healthcare professionals in primary care to (i) diagnose and (ii) manage inflammatory bowel disease.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NICE Quality Standard on inflammatory bowel disease, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease receive a specialist assessment within four weeks of referral.

Steve Brine: NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To support local commissioning, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published best practice guidance for the timely and accurate diagnosis, treatment care and support for patients with IBD. NICE has published the guidance ’Faecal calprotectin diagnostic tests for inflammatory diseases of the bowel’ which recommends that that faecal calprotectin testing as an option to help support clinicians distinguish between IBD and irritable bowel syndrome. Faecal calprotectin testing will therefore help decide who should be referred for colonoscopy (the Gold Standard diagnostic test) and who may be amenable to management in primary care. Primary and secondary care clinicians are expected to follow the good practice guidelines and the quality standard. NHS England commissions specialised Intestinal Failure Services. A number of these centres are currently involved in multidisciplinary training of health professionals in specialised IBD care. In addition, the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland are currently in the process of setting out national standards for surgical management of IBD. Patients are managed by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) with the necessary expertise to enable appropriate monitoring, support and advice necessary to manage the side effects of treatment, flare-ups and to review and maintain remission. MDT support and the associated diagnostic and investigative resource necessary for IBD patient care will usually be found in secondary care settings. General practitioners and clinicians are expected to take account of relevant NICE guidance to ensure that patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease are referred quickly and efficiently, and have a specialist assessment within four weeks of referral. The NICE guidelines are available at the following links: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152/resources/crohns-disease-management-pdf-35109627942085 www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg166/resources/ulcerative-colitis-management-pdf-35109695126725

Prescriptions

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the Electronic Prescription Service to be made available in dispensing GP practices.

Steve Brine: In December 2017, NHS Digital gave full roll out approval and assurance of a solution developed by EMIS Health to allow dispensing general practitioner (GP) practices to use the Electronic Prescription Service within their practice dispensary. EMIS Health supplies the EMIS Web prescribing system to approximately 50% of dispensing GP practices and will look to implement the Proscript Connect dispensing system at these sites in the first instance. This is expected to commence during summer 2018.

Prescriptions

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that rural GP practices have access to high-speed broadband to support their full participation in the Electronic Prescription Service.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care does not have responsibility for the rollout of access to high speed broadband. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport leads on the introduction of a broadband Universal Service Obligation. The Department of Health and Social Care is, through NHS Digital, ensuring general practitioner (GP) practices are able to access the best available broadband services through the Health and Social Care Network programme. The ability of GP practices to use the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is important to fully realise the benefits of the system to provide a more efficient and cost effective service. EPS is currently deployed to over 92% of GP practices.

Drugs: Rural Areas

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is assessing the potential merits of allowing dispensing doctors to sell over-the-counter medicines in rural areas.

Steve Brine: The Department is not assessing the potential merits of allowing dispensing doctors to sell over-the-counter medicines in rural areas

Nutrition: Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing Public Health England’s recommendation on achieving a 20 per cent reduction in children’s calorie intake by 2024.

Steve Brine: A 20% reduction in calories from everyday foods that contribute to intakes, if achieved over five years, would prevent 35,370 premature deaths, save the National Health Service £4.5 billion in healthcare costs and save social care costs of around £4.48 billion, over a 25 year period.This information is set out in Public Health England’s recent report “Calorie reduction: The scope and ambition for action” which is available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/685359/Calorie_reduction_The_scope_and_ambition_for_action.pdf

Pharmacy: Negligence

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the coming into force of the Preparation and Dispensing Errors (Registered Pharmacies) Order 2018 of the risk of pharmacists being prosecuted as a result of an inadvertent dispensing error.

Steve Brine: There have been very few prosecutions in regard to preparation and dispensing errors made by pharmacists to date, and we expect the number to reduce even further. The fundamental premise on which this Order is based is that new defences for offences concerning dispensing errors will reduce the risk of prosecution, leading to an increase in the number of reported errors. Over time, learning from increased numbers of error reports is expected to lead to improvements in training and practices, which should reduce the number of errors made. An Impact Assessment, published alongside the Order, records that there have only been three prosecutions by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency since 2003 and a similarly very low number by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland. No specific figure was given for the likely number of prosecutions in future, either for prosecution for the offences to which the defences relate or under the general criminal law. However, the Impact Assessment did seek to put a monetary value on the benefit from a reduced risk of prosecution and estimated a benefit to business of £565,770. The consultation responses supported this part of the analysis. Whilst it is estimated this policy will result in a reduced risk of prosecution, in the most serious cases, for example where a dispensing error leads to the death of a patient, prosecution will continue to be possible under the general criminal law – for example for gross negligence manslaughter.

Drugs

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients can promptly access drugs if the UK is no longer a member of the European Medicines Agency during any transition period after the UK leaves the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: During the implementation period, the United Kingdom will no longer be a Member State of the European Union, but market access will continue on current terms. We will continue to have access to drugs at the same time as countries within the EU, and the UK will continue to participate in and have access to European Medicines Agency (EMA). In regard to the future relationship, the Prime Minister's Mansion House speech outlined that we will also explore the terms on which the UK could remain part of the EMA. While it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations we will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in medicines regulation.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the funding allocated to CAHMS by NHS England in January 2018 for over 130 new CAHMS beds to be released.

Jackie Doyle-Price: During 2017/18, NHS England commissioned 113 new child and adolescent mental health services in-patient beds. The revenue funding required to support these beds was allocated during 2017/18 and 2018/19. There are plans to commission around 100 further new beds over the next six months, from April 2018. The revenue will be allocated on a phased basis as the beds open.

NHS: Finance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the NHS budget was spent on treating lifestyle-related illnesses in the most recent financial year.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Detention Centres: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to the provision of mental health services in detention centres in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Prior to September 2014 the Home Office was responsible for commissioning health including mental health services in Immigration Removal Centres. The Department does not therefore hold the information requested for years 2010 to September 2014. Since September 2014 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning all health services within Immigration Removal Centres. However NHS England does not hold the information in the format requested.

Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made for the number cases of (a) diabetes, (b) coronary heart disease and (c) lung cancer for each of the next five years.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold information regarding estimates of the number of cases of coronary heart disease and lung cancer for each of the next five years. In relation to diabetes, Public Health England has advised that future prevalence in England (the estimated number of people age 16 years or older who have diabetes - diagnosed and undiagnosed) has been estimated as follows:- 2019 – 4,147,109, 8.7%;- 2020 – 4,204,334, 8.7%;- 2025 – 4,511,653, 9.1%;- 2030 – 4,800,491, 9.3%; and- 2035 – 5,065,377, 9.5%. The estimates take into account the age, sex, and ethnic group distribution, as well as deprivation of the area. As with all modelled data, there is a degree of uncertainty associated with these estimates, therefore they should be considered indicative only.

Personal Health Budgets

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of his Department’s planned expansion of the NHS's personal health budget scheme.

Caroline Dinenage: Personal health budgets are not about new money, nor are they about cutting costs. They are about using National Health Service money that would have already been spent on an individual, in a different way to meet their identified health needs. Evidence from the evaluation of the personal health budget pilot programme, showed that personal health budgets can support a move from unplanned, emergency care to planned care, and that they are cost effective in comparison to conventional services. It also found that people with the highest levels of need experienced similar or improved outcomes when using a personal health budget. The full evaluation report of the personal health budget pilot programme can be found here:www.phbe.org.uk

Wales Office

Wales Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with key infrastructure providers on the steps they are taking to protect themselves from cyber-attack.

Stuart Andrew: Government Departments and the National Cyber Security Centre have regular discussions with key infrastructure providers on their management of cyber risk.Ensuring the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure is secure and resilient against cyber attack is a priority for the Government as set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy. This is supported by a significant programme of work to provide advice, guidance and support to infrastructure providers and develop effective regulatory frameworks.

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on plans to bring forward a Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: There is regular engagement between the UK Government and the Welsh Government on bills in front of both the UK Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales, including the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill.

Wales Office: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Stuart Andrew: The Wales Office has no IT systems which are over three years old. The Wales Office uses IT systems provided by the Ministry of Justice and ensures that these systems are updated on a regular basis.

Severn River Crossing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on renaming the Second Severn Crossing.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which people and organisations were consulted on renaming the Second Severn Crossing.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of renaming the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: Over the course of the last year, I have corresponded regularly with the Welsh Government, The Prime Minister’s Office, the Department for Transport and with the Royal Household on the proposal to rename the Second Severn Crossing. There have been no costs incurred to rename the bridge to date. Plans to commemorate the renaming are still being explored, with details to be released at a later date. The announcement is a fitting tribute to His Royal Highness in a year that sees him mark 60 years as The Prince of Wales. Welsh Government Economy Secretary, Ken Skates, has confirmed the Welsh Government’s support and commented that changing the name of the Second Severn Crossing to the Prince of Wales Bridge is supported by "many people in Wales". Through his extensive charity work and support for Welsh business and enterprise His Royal Highness has given decades of continued, dedicated service to our nation. Renaming a landmark that is both iconic and symbolic of the vital link between Wales and England is a fitting way to formally recognise his commitment to Wales and the UK as the Prince of Wales.

Department for Education

Digital Technology: Adult Education

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of adults who do not have (a) basic, (b) intermediate and (c) advanced digital literacy.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government does not produce statistics in the format requested, but Lloyds Bank Consumer Digital Index 2017 showed that 11.5 million people lacked at least one of the five basic digital skills. This is down 1.1 million since 2015. We have announced full funding for basic digital training for adults from 2020.As our economy changes, it is becoming increasingly important that people are able to upskill and reskill throughout their career. The government will be introducing a National Retraining Scheme, which will be an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult learning and retraining, and digital skills will be one the Scheme’s early focuses. As part of the Scheme, the government will invest £30 million to test the use of Artificial Intelligence and innovative Education Technology in online digital skills courses so that learners can access the training they need to work with and alongside new technologies.In order to create the next generation of digital specialists, the government supports the new Institute of Coding. A consortium of 60 universities, businesses and industry experts will receive £20 million of government funding to help graduates access the skills employers need, in fields from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence to industrial design. We are also implementing the recommendations from the Shadbolt Review of Computer Sciences Degree Accreditation and Graduate Employability. Additionally, Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, intends to deliver high quality digital skills training to up to 5,000 learners in its first seven years.

Reading: Lewisham Deptford

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils (a) attained and (b) exceeded the minimum standard for reading at (i) key stage 1 and (ii) key stage 2 in Lewisham, Deptford constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: Pupil attainment in the headline measures for reading[1], at the end of key stage 1 and 2 study, in Lewisham, Deptford constituency, from 2010/11[2] - 2016/17[3] are provided below: Key stage 1Academic yearEligible pupilsAchieving level 2 or aboveAchieving level 3 or aboveNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupilsNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupils2010/111,2251,00082259212011/121,2941,11386346272012/131,3121,18190408312013/141,3941,29193483352014/151,4371,3119151636Academic yearEligible pupilsReaching the expected standardWorking at greater depthNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupilsNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupils2015/161,4151,11479399282016/171,4611,1898136425   Key stage 2Academic yearEligible pupilsAchieving level 4 or aboveAchieving level 5 or aboveNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupilsNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupils2010/111,08391785448412011/121,02193592577572012/131,03895092513492013/141,0891,01493610562014/151,1511,0829464856Academic yearEligible pupilsReaching the expected standardAchieving a higher scoreNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupilsNumberof pupilsPercentageof pupils2015/161,19881768246212016/171,2209127531726  Due to the changes in assessment methodology, years prior to 2015/16 are not comparable to 2015/16 and 2016/17. [1] Until 2015/16, the department published the number of pupils achieving levels 2 or above, 3 or above (key stage 1), 4 or above and 5 or above (key stage 2). In 2015/16, levels were no longer used and the department began reporting the number of pupils reaching the expected standard and working at greater depth (key stage 1) or achieving a higher score (key stage 2).[2] Lewisham, Deptford constituency had its boundaries changed in 2010, therefore it is not possible to compare figures from before 2010, as they will cover a different geographical area. Figures are provided from the 2010/11 academic year.[3] All years' figures are based on final data, except 2016/17 which is based on revised data.

Foster Care: Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of foster care allowances in covering the cost of raising children.

Nadhim Zahawi: There has been no recent assessment of the adequacy of National Minimum Allowances for foster parents in covering the cost of raising children. ‘Foster Care in England’, the independent review of the fostering system and the Education Select Committee made a number of recommendations relating to the support foster parents receive, including financial support. We are carefully considering the recommendations made by both reports and the government response will be published in spring this year.

Carers: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 April 2018 to Question 134169, what steps he is taking to help ensure that local authorities have sufficient provision and adequate criteria in place to provide sufficient financial support to kinship carers.

Nadhim Zahawi: Every local authority is required to have a published policy which presents their approach to providing support to children living with family and friends, regardless of whether or not they have been looked after by a local authority. The policy should be clear, regularly updated and made freely and widely available. Officials have recently written to a number of local authorities where their policy was not readily available or appeared out of date, to remind them of their statutory duty to have this policy in place and to ensure it is accessible to all their family and friend carers. Local authorities are required to have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services, including financial support to children living with family and friends.

Pupil Exclusions: Derbyshire

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of pupils permanently excluded from schools in Derbyshire at key stage (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3 and (d) 4 in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of permanent exclusions in Derbyshire broken down by year group is published in the ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England 2015 to 2016’ National Statistics release, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2015-to-2016.[1] Total exclusion figures for each key stage are not published. A table is attached showing the total Number and Rate of permanent exclusions in Derbyshire Local Authority from 2011/12 to 2015/16, broken down by year group. [1] Underlying exclusions data for local authorities can be found in the file SFR_35_2017_LA_characteristics.csv, also available to view at the above site.



Permanent_Exclusion_in_Derbyshire_2011-2016
(PDF Document, 18.88 KB)

Students: Loans

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to increase the maintenance loan for students to help prevent them going in to overdrafts.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government has announced an increase of 3.2% to the maximum loans for living costs for full-time students starting their courses in the 2018/19 academic year – the highest levels on record. In addition, new students attending honours degree courses (and other level six courses) from academic year 2018/19 on a part-time basis will, for the first time, qualify for loans for living costs. The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding will consider how we can provide a joined up system that is accessible to all students. It will consider how learners receive maintenance support, both from government and from universities and colleges. The review will receive input from an expert independent panel who will publish their report at an interim stage, before the government concludes the overall review in early 2019.

Education: Standards

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to aid the development of the Integrated Communities Strategy.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Education has a crucial role to play in promoting integration, and widening opportunities for all communities. Schools, in particular, are at the heart of our communities, bringing families from all walks of life together. We know that many schools already successfully create inclusive environments but we want to ensure this is the case for all schools and other types of education settings. As part of the Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper, we announced a strengthened package of support for schools, and measures to deliver quality education across all settings, for all groups. We will support schools to increase the diversity of their pupil intakes, by developing model admission arrangements; and will strengthen expectations for all new free schools to show how they improve integration further. Our measures aimed at boosting local capacity to identify and tackle concerns in out-of-school settings; and our consultation on strengthened guidance and wider call for evidence on issues connected with elective home education, will support better quality education provision outside of schools.

Special Educational Needs

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to assess whether (a) students and (b) parents of students with (i) autism and (ii) specific learning difficulties are satisfied with the accommodation by education providers of the educational needs of those students.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on the provision of study coaches for students with (a) autism and (b) specific learning difficulties.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that students with (a) autism and (b) specific learning difficulties are adequately accommodated by education providers at each level of their education.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not collect information on the satisfaction of students with autism or specific learning difficulties nor their parents regarding education providers. Students on special educational needs (SEN) Support are entitled to a termly review of the support provided. Those who have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans have a right to a review of their plan by the local authority at least annually. Schools have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for students who are disabled, and to ensure that disabled students are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory – it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled students may require and what adjustments might be needed to prevent that disadvantage.Students’ and parents’ views of services are an important part of the Ofsted CQC SEND inspections, which started in May 2016 and will see every local area inspected by 2021. Inspections look at the effectiveness of services, including education providers, in identifying and meeting needs and improving outcomes. It is important that education staff are well placed to support students with autism and specific learning difficulties. The department has funded the Autism Education Trust (AET) since 2011 to deliver autism awareness training for early years, school and post-16 education staff. To date, the AET has provided training for more than 150,000 education staff. Training is available for all those who work in educational settings, not just teachers. The AET has also published national autism standards for educational settings and a competency framework for those working with children and young people with autism. A two-year extension to the contract with the AET was recently confirmed, worth £1.45 million.In addition to work with the AET, the department works to ensure that all schools meet the needs of students with SEN and disabilities, including those with autism and specific learning difficulties, through Initial Teacher Training and the Teachers’ Standards. Each school, including Academies and Free Schools, must have a SEN co-ordinator (SENCO) who must hold qualified teacher status, and usually they must undertake the Masters level National Award in SEN co-ordination within three years of being appointed. The department is also funding the Education and Training Foundation in 2018-19 to improve the capacity of the Further Education sector to support students with SEND. This includes an analysis of training needs about specific conditions such as autism. Furthermore, the department will shortly be awarding a 2 year contract to provide strategic support to the workforce in mainstream and special schools to deliver high quality teaching across all types of SEN and disability.

Special Educational Needs

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of educational attainment of students with (a) autism and (b) specific learning difficulties since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department publishes pupil attainment data, split by a range of characteristics, including special education needs SEN status and the primary type of need, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and specific learning difficulties. Figures for key stage 2[1] and key stage 4[2] attainment are available. Direct comparisons between measures, across years, is not possible due to the methodological changes that have occurred in the production of these figures. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-key-stage-2. Select the revised publication for each year and then download the national tables. For 2017 open ‘table N8a’, for 2016 open table ‘N8’, for 2012-15 open ‘table 9a’ in the 2015 publication and for 2010-11 open ‘table 8’ in the 2011 publication. [2] For 2010-14, access this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014, open the ‘national and local authority tables’ and open ‘table 1’. For 2015-17, access this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4 and open the revised publication for each year (first three links), open the ‘characteristics national tables’ and then open ‘table CH1’ in each publication.

Special Educational Needs: Autism

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to make primary and secondary schools autism friendly.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education (DfE) has funded the Autism Education Trust (AET) since 2011 to deliver autism awareness training for early years, school and post-16 education staff. To date, the AET has provided training for more than 150,000 education staff. The training is available for all those who work in schools, not just teachers. The AET has also published national autism standards for educational settings and a competency framework for those working with children and young people with autism. We have recently confirmed a two-year extension to the contract with the AET worth £1.45 million.We have provided funding to a range of organisations leading on different kinds of SEND to develop resources and training to equip the school workforce, including on autism. A SEND review tool to help schools identify priorities and build school-to-school approaches to improvement is now available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/commissioning-a-send-review. This is supported by a number of tools to address any weaknesses identified by a review, available at www.sendgateway.org.uk. We will shortly be awarding a two-year contract to provide strategic support to the workforce in mainstream and special schools, from foundation stage to sixth form, to deliver high quality teaching across all types of SEND. Schools also have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for pupils who are disabled, which would include those on the autistic spectrum, and to ensure that disabled pupils are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory, it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled children and young people may require and what adjustments might be needed to prevent that disadvantage.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many non-medical help providers have had (a) no referrals, (b) fewer than five referrals and (c) fewer than 10 referrals since the introduction of the Disabled Students Allowance Quality Assurance Group list in April 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Student Loans Company, which administers Disabled Students’ Allowances, maintains records of payments made to non-medical help (NMH) providers but does not record information by provider on NMH referrals.

Foster Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to extend private fostering arrangements to children up to the age of 18 years; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have no plans to extend the regulations covering private fostering to apply them to children up to the age of 18. Local authorities’ general safeguarding duties, set out in statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, apply to children aged 16 or 17, so local authorities should respond to any concerns about such children in private fostering arrangements.

School Meals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's policy is on schools requiring children to eat a lunchtime meal in a separate room as a result of their parents being unable to pay a minimum advance payment to cover meals.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's policy is on schools charging pupils for hot water used to prepare food they have brought from home.

Nadhim Zahawi: Schools should not charge for hot water, and should definitely not segregate pupils whose parents were unable to pay for their school meals. By law, local authorities are required to provide facilities for pupils who bring their own lunch and/or drink at maintained schools, however it is ultimately for schools to set their own packed lunch policies. Schools are expected to be reasonable in the policies that they choose to adopt and the department expects schools to consider pupils’ medical, dietary and cultural needs accordingly. Schools are obliged to provide meals where a child is eligible for free school meals (FSM). Where a child is not eligible for FSM, parents are expected to cover the cost of any meal.

Children in Care

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the (a) employment, (b) training, (c) housing and (d) health outcomes of vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds who are cared for by local authorities.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department collects data on children that were looked after and care leavers from local authorities annually, via the children looked after return. Figures on the placement type of all children looked after during the year, for example whether they are a foster placement or a children’s home placement, and on a range of health-based measures, can be found in the national tables I1, I2, I3, and I5a of the ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ statistical first release, which is accessible via:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017. Figures on 17-year-old care leavers, including on whether the person is in higher education, further education, or in training or employment, what type of accommodation they are living in, and whether this accommodation is judged to be suitable, can be found in the national tables F3 and F4 of the ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ statistical first release via:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.

Primary Education: Free School Meals

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils have been in receipt of universal infant free school meals since its introduction.

Nadhim Zahawi: This information is in the public domain and for every year since 2015 the number of infant pupils who took a free school meal on census day is published (in Table 3d) in the below National tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage schools to use their budgets to provide sanitary products for children who are unable to afford them.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of young women who were absent from school as a result of not being able to afford feminine hygiene products.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our Sex and Relationships Education guidance encourages schools to make adequate and sensitive arrangements to help girls cope with menstruation. Schools are best placed to assess the needs of their pupils, have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available to pupils if they identify this as a barrier to attainment or attendance. We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5 billion of additional funding this year alone. Moreover, as a government, in this round of the Tampon Tax Fund we will provide £1.5 million for the ‘Let’s Talk. Period.’ Project, which will distribute sanitary products to young women and girls in need across England. We are committed to ensuring that any action to support disadvantaged pupils is based on robust evidence. We have sought to establish whether there has been any rigorous national assessment of the prevalence of period poverty or its impact on attendance, however none appears available. We reached out to school stakeholders in July 2017 through the Association of School and College Leaders forum asking for contributions on the issue and received a very limited response. As promised in the House, we have reviewed our absence statistics and our recently published analysis shows no evidence that period poverty has a significant nation-wide impact on school attendance. We do want to find out more; this is why we intend to place questions on these issues in the department’s 2018 surveys for pupils and senior school leaders.

Pre-school Education

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential, what estimate he has made of the potential effect that increasing the number of early years practitioners in private, voluntary and independent nurseries will have on closing the early word gap.

Nadhim Zahawi: In our ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’ publication we set out our ambition to close the word gap in early years between disadvantaged children and their peers. This included actions to improve the quality of early years provision but did not include a commitment to increase early years practitioner numbers. The regulatory standards for registered providers caring for children from birth to five are set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework, including the staff: child ratios and qualification levels for staff. It is a matter for private, voluntary and independent nurseries, as the employers of early year practitioners, to decide the staffing levels they wish to employ within the statutory guidelines.

Teachers: Training

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of people who enrol in early years teacher training.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Census publishes experimental statistics on the number of new entrants to Early Years ITT, including a breakdown by route. Data going back to academic year 2016/17 are available in the latest ITT Census publication, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2017-to-2018.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the number of school-age children who live in the catchment area of only a state-funded faith school.

Nadhim Zahawi: All mainstream state funded schools, including faith schools, must comply with the School Admissions Code. This requires all admissions authorities to publish admission arrangements, which detail how, in the event of more applications than places, allocation of places will be prioritised. Admission authorities may choose to give priority to children living within a designated catchment area, but not all will set a catchment.

Department for Education: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is fully compliant with the Ban the Box initiative. No roles advertised in 2016 or 2017 required applicants to declare details of previous convictions.

Department for Education: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is already compliant with the Ban the Box initiative and, as such, there is no requirement for an implementation plan.

Degrees

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation on accelerated degrees.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education will publish the response to consultation on accelerated degrees in due course.

Wakefield City Academies Trust: Assets

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value of assets transferred was from each school under the control of the Wakefield City Academy Trust in each year that the Trust was responsible for the running of those schools.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what dates transfers of assets from budgets of schools under the control of the Wakefield City Academy Trust to the Trust were made.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether assets transferred from school budgets to the Wakefield City Academy Trust have been returned to schools as a result of the re-brokering of academy contracts.

Nadhim Zahawi: In line with its Funding Agreement, Wakefield City Academies Trust (WCAT) is taking a trust-wide perspective of its finances. The department has looked at the allegations of assets being moved inappropriately from WCAT schools and we have seen no evidence of this. The West Yorkshire Police have investigated and found allegations of financial irregularities at the trust to be unsubstantiated. As a result, the police concluded their inquiries with no further action. This follows the auditors’ unqualified opinion on the trust’s accounts. Our priority continues to be to transfer the schools to strong trusts that will be able to drive rapid and sustainable school improvement, to give pupils the best possible education. On 1 April 2018, 11 of the schools formally transferred from WCAT to their new Trusts. The department is working to transfer the remaining 10 academies as smoothly as possible and in a way that secures the financial future for each school as well as the education of their pupils. We have worked with all the schools and the new trusts to provide appropriate support and resources, including funding, so that each of the schools has what is required to improve pupil outcomes.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department was notified of concerns about the financial stability of the Wakefield City Academy Trust by the Schools Commissioner.

Nadhim Zahawi: Following a disappointing set of results in 2016, where 17 of its 21 academies were below average, and with four of its academies judged inadequate by Ofsted, Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) became particularly concerned about schools in the Wakefield City Academies Trust (WCAT). The Trust Board recognised that it did not have the capacity within the Trust and its academies to bring about the rapid, sustainable school improvement which many of its schools needed, and passed a resolution to ask the department to re-broker all of its schools to new trusts that did have capacity. The decision to re-broker all 21 schools and close WCAT was based on concerns regarding the disappointing educational performance of 17 of its 21 academies, and not on financial management of the trust. RSCs are embedded in the Department for Education so there is not an inherent time lag between concerns being identified and RSCs and the wider department taking appropriate action.

Academies: Standards

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to improve the scrutiny of (a) finances and (b) academic performance at academies as a result of the collapse of the Wakefield City Academy Trust.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department continually reviews and improve systems and processes to oversee academies. We have strengthened our processes for monitoring the overall performance of MATs and ensuring growth is sustainable and delivers improvement. We have also improved support available, for example, through funding professional development programmes for MAT trustees[1] and funding Academy Ambassadors to match high calibre business leaders with academy trusts. Academy Ambassadors work closely with academy trusts and Regional Schools Commissioners to identify trust boards where additional business expertise would improve the governance of the trust and any skills or background that would be particularly desirable in light of the opportunities and challenges the trust is facing. The department has a robust system of financial accountability. Processes are founded on a clear framework communicated and regulated by the Education Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA), with effective oversight and compliance based on proportionate risk assessment, and robust intervention when things go wrong. ESFA scrutinises a broad range of academy trust data and intelligence to identify risk, including audited accounts and a number of annual financial returns. All academy trusts must publish details of their financial performance in annual accounts. To ensure strong external scrutiny, all academy trusts must have an annual external audit of their annual accounts by a registered statutory auditor and the department expect trusts to act on audit findings as an opportunity to strengthen their systems. The ESFA’s focus is much broader than intervention, working with the sector to continue building capacity and expertise in financial management and forecasting. To reinforce the importance of three year financial planning the ESFA are further strengthening budget forecasting, the ESFA CEO Eileen Milner wrote to academy trusts in March 2018 setting out the requirement for all academy trusts to submit three-year financial forecasts. Where concerns arise, ESFA works with trusts to prevent financial instability and enable them to recover their financial position and return to stable governance. Intervention is always proportionate, risk-based, and linked to non-compliance with requirements set out in the Academies Financial Handbook and academies’ funding agreements. The sector remains in a stable position, with just over 1% of academy trusts subject to an active Financial Notice to Improve. We constantly keep under review the financial control and reporting framework for academies and introduce any necessary enhancements through the Academies Financial Handbook and the Academies Accounts Direction, both of which are re-issued on an annual basis.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-governors-professional-development

Department for Education: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Nick Gibb: The Department and its executive agencies have no direct employees paid below the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. There are no agency or outsourced staff paid below the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Universities Superannuation Scheme

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the dates of all meetings the Minister for Higher Education has held with (a) Universities UK and (b) the Universities and College Union on the Universities Superannuation Scheme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I have held a number of meetings and conversations in relation to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) dispute with interested parties, including Universities UK (UUK) and the University and College Union (UCU). I consistently urged both UUK and UCU to continue to negotiate in order to find a solution. I welcome the recent vote by UCU members in favour of the proposal to create a Joint Expert Panel to examine the USS valuation.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that students on the disabled students allowance can access the equipment required to study.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are non-means tested, grants which provide valuable support for eligible disabled students, enabling them to participate in higher education alongside non-disabled students. Students eligible for DSAs have their needs assessed and the support recommended as a result, including equipment, is paid for through DSAs. Since 2015 eligible students have been required to pay £200 towards the cost of computer equipment recommended for them, given that computer ownership is now widespread and therefore a mainstream cost for all students. Eligible students are not required to pay for specialist software recommended for them, nor for training in the use of that software. Information on how to apply for DSAs and what support they offer is freely available on GOV.UK.

Self-employed: Adoption

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105717, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending statutory adoption leave to people who are self-employed.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government set out in its response to the Taylor Review of modern employment practices (published on 7 February 2018) that, while it agrees with the principle of equalising benefits for the self-employed, it is right only to consider making changes to this area once we have carefully assessed this in the wider context of tax, benefits and rights over the longer term.In contrast to employees, self-employed adopters do not need a statutory entitlement to adoption leave as they are able to decide themselves how much time off work they take and when. Where adopters do not qualify for family related statutory pay because they are self-employed, local authorities may make a payment equivalent to Maternity Allowance. This is discretionary and subject to means testing to ensure resources are targeted at those who need it the most. Since 2010, we have taken significant steps to equalise the state benefits provided to the employed and self-employed, including giving the self-employed access to the full rate of the new State Pension for the first time, (worth up to £1,900/year more).

Department for Education: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Nick Gibb: The Department has interpreted ‘IT Systems’ as the infrastructure technology supporting business systems, not the development of system functionality. Departmental records show that there are 275 business IT systems. The server infrastructure supporting these systems comprises no servers that are more than three years old, 1,428 servers that are more than five years old, and 451 servers that are more than eight years old. To ensure that IT systems are updated promptly, the Deparment runs essential preventative maintenance procedures and regular patching to keep IT systems up to date, stable and safe in operation. A significant transformation programme is under way to upgrade the oldest IT systems to later versions.

STEM Subjects: Higher Education

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students leaving a free school pursued a STEM subject at university in each year since 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department does not hold information on the subject of higher education qualifications pursued by pupils leaving free schools. We do published information on pupil destinations, which includes a breakdown of the types of destination that pupils move on to after key stage 5.The full publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-ks4-and-ks5-pupils-2016.

Academies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides on how multi-academy trust board minutes and other records should be stored in instances where (a) a previous academy board is replaced and placed under new sponsorship and (b) an academy trust closes.

Nadhim Zahawi: Legislation set out in The Charities Act 2011 requires charity trustees to preserve a charity’s accounting records for a period of six years following its dissolution. As Charitable Companies, trustees of Multi Academy Trusts must comply with this legislation. The Charity Commission strongly recommends that trustees uphold a similar period of retention for all other important documents such as meeting minutes, meeting agendas, papers and reports.

Collective Spirit Multi-academy Trust

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) Ofsted, (b) the Education and Skills Funding Agency, (c) the Regional Schools Commissioner and (d) his Department had sight of board minutes from the Manchester Creative Studio or the Collective Spirit Free School in Oldham prior to the re-brokering of the Collective Spirit Multi-Academy Trust.

Nadhim Zahawi: When academy trusts require intervention, Regional School Commissioner (RSC) teams work alongside officials from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to ensure that both educational and finance and governance issues are addressed. Officials of the ESFA had sight of minutes of Manchester Creative Studio and the Collective Spirit Free School prior to the closure of the Collective Spirit Free School. Officials working on behalf the RSC for Lancashire and West Yorkshire had sight of some extracts from these same minutes and also more recent minutes of Manchester Creative Studio. With regard to Ofsted, this matter is for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: Standards

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools by type of school are rated as (a) requires improvement or (b) inadequate in each regional schools commissioner area.

Nick Gibb: Referring to the Ofsted statistical first release data, as at 31 December 2017, there were 1,989 schools in England rated as requiring improvement. At the same point there were 386 schools rated as inadequate.[1] The attached table, shows the number of schools rated requires improvement or inadequate as at 31 December 2017, broken down by region and type of school. The majority of schools rated as requires improvement or inadequate are community schools. Where schools are judged inadequate by Ofsted, the Department will act quickly. RSCs and the wider Department will work with schools where necessary to decide whether additional support is needed to help it improve. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-december-2017 



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Schools: Standards

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools by type of school have improved from (a) inadequate or requires improvement to (b) good or outstanding in each regional schools commissioner jurisdiction area in each year since regional schools commissioners were established.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools by type of school have moved from (a) good or outstanding to (b) inadequate or requires improvement in each regional schools commissioner jurisdiction area in each year since regional schools commissioners were established.

Nick Gibb: A table is attached, giving a full breakdown by regional schools commissioner region and type of school, of schools that improved their Ofsted rating from inadequate or requires improvement (RI) to good or outstanding. A second attached table gives a full breakdown by regional schools commissioner region and type of school, of schools whose Ofsted ratings changed from good or outstanding to inadequate or requires improvement.



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Schools_that_moved_from_Outstanding_Good
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Dentistry: Training

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish the funding arrangements for new pre-registration dental hygiene and dental therapy students who are starting courses on or after 1 August 2018.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Health and Social Care published an updated policy paper on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthcare-education-funding-for-postgraduate-and-dental-students/healthcare-education-funding-for-postgraduate-and-dental-students) on 6 April 2018. This explains the funding arrangements for new pre-registration dental hygiene and dental therapy students starting courses on or after 1 August 2018.From 1 August 2018, most pre-registration dental hygiene and dental therapy students will be able to access the standard student loan package and the Learning Support Fund.For the cohort starting in 2018 to 2019 only, students at five specific institutions will continue to have access to an NHS bursary for the duration of their course. These providers will be required to reform their courses to fit the standard model from August 2019.

Nurses: Training

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that nursing students who have received incorrect payments from the Student Loans Company are not forced to leave their courses on account of reductions to their payments in the new term.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he has plans to write-off the overpayment of loans to nursing students by the Student Loans Company.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government announced on 18 April 2018 that the Student Loans Company (SLC) will provide support to ensure that none of the students affected by the error suffer hardship. Students affected by this error will be eligible to apply for additional, non-repayable, support of up to £1,000 for the remainder of this academic year, and should contact SLC. In addition, repayment of overpaid maintenance support will be deferred for all students affected until they have finished their courses and can afford to repay. Repayment of overpaid maintenance loans will happen via HM Revenue and Customs in the normal way, which is how students will have expected to repay when they took out the loans.

Refugees: English Language

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March to Question 134845 on English Language: Refugees, how much funding the Government has allocated to accredited English language teaching for refugees in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses through the adult education budget. We do not collect data on learners that would allow us to identify them as refugees. We have previously published providers’ overall spending on ESOL, which includes funding for refugee learners. I refer the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hall Green to the answer my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Apprentices and Skills gave on 12 March 2018 to 131906. In addition, as part of the Home Office’s Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Programme (VCRP), local authorities receive £8520 per person for the first year of resettlement (with the exception of Northern Ireland, where the tariff is £8000 per person) from which they are required to provide a range of support services, including access to English language support. Local authorities are able to determine for themselves how this tariff funding is used, based on local need and service provision. The government has also made an additional £10 million available over five years for English language support for those resettled on the VPRS and VCRP programmes. This funding is for the provision of ESOL classes, and equates to £850 per adult resettled. The Home Office has also allocated funding (£600,000 in each of the financial years 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19, and £500,000 in 2019/20) to enable local authorities to provide additional childcare to those on the VPRS and VCRS so that they can attend ESOL classes.

Pre-school Education: Assessments

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the organisations that submitted applications to run the Reception Baseline Assessment.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department announced its preferred bidder for the Reception Baseline Assessment on 11 April. As government commercial procedure dictates, the contract for the Reception Baseline Assessment will be uploaded to Contracts Finder once contract award is complete. Information about the number of applications will be included in the contract award notice.

Schools: Asbestos

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice his Department provides to early years settings on (a) identifying and (b) removing asbestos from premises.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the lead regulator on managing asbestos and publishes guidance on effective and safe management of asbestos in line with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage requires providers to keep children safe, ensure premises are fit for purpose, are able manage any risks and undertake risk assessments to identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis or be removed or minimised. Providers must comply with requirements of Health and Safety legislation. The responsibility for managing asbestos in a building rests with the ‘duty holder’. The duty holder being the ‘person or organisation that has clear responsibility for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises.’ Duty holders are required to survey their building, create a register of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) and write a management plan detailing the procedures for monitoring the condition of ACMs.The department publishes guidance (‘Asbestos Management in Schools’) that would be relevant for early years provision in schools and could be applicable for a range of settings. This is intended to help duty holders understand their obligations and to support the effective management of asbestos. The HSE advice remains that as long as asbestos-containing materials are undamaged, and not in locations where they are vulnerable to damage, they should be managed in situ.

Children's Centres: Closures

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Stop Start, published by the Sutton Trust on 16 April 2018, if he will make an assessment on the implications for his policies on the recording of sure start centre closures as a result of the findings in that report.

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Stop Start, published by the Sutton Trust on 16 April 2018, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits of introducing a national register of children’s centres which sets minimum levels of Sure Start provision.

Nadhim Zahawi: The findings in the Stop Start report are estimates based on analysis of different datasets and a snapshot survey of local councils. Local councils currently supply data on children’s centre provision through the Department for Education’s ‘Get Information about Schools’ (GIAS) database at https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. Statutory guidance says that local councils should update their children’s centre data on a regular basis to reflect any changes to provision. We believe that the GIAS database is the most efficient and proportionate method for local councils to report children’s centre closures on a regular basis. As set out in legislation, local councils have responsibility for determining precisely what services are delivered through children’s centres. We believe that this is the right approach.

Children's Centres

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to conduct a consultation on children's centres.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Batley and Spen to the answers given by the former Minister of State for Children and Families (Robert Goodwill) on 12 December 2017 to question 118316: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=118316. And on 19 December 2017 to question 118701: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=118701.

Secondary Education: Standards

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints he has received on the effectiveness of the secondary school performance Progress 8 measure; and what steps his Department is taking to address those complaints.

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the secondary school performance Progress 8 measure.

Nick Gibb: The Department has a number of feedback mechanisms regarding Progress 8 and regularly engages with the sector through conferences, meetings and correspondence. The Department is making changes to Progress 8 in response to feedback. Following concerns about the disproportionate effect that a small number of extremely negative scores can have on a school’s average progress score, from 2018 a limit is being introduced on how negative a pupil’s progress score can be when calculating the school average for both Progress 8 and primary progress measures. Further details can be found in the secondary accountability guidance: www.gov.uk/government/ publications/progress-8-school-performance-measure.

Homelessness: Care Leavers

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young people classified as homeless were previously in care in (a) the North East and (b) England.

Nadhim Zahawi: This information is publically available in the statistical first release Children looked after in England including adoption 2016 to 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department's review on the educational outcomes of children in need of help or support aged 16 and 17 will consider any other outcomes where the support those children have received may cause an effect.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 16 March 2018, the government published data and analysis as part of the Department for Education’s Children in Need Review. This included the finding that Children in Need have worse educational outcomes than their peers from the early years, make less progress throughout school, and are more likely than other children to become a young adult who is Not in Education, Employment or Training three years after completing Key Stage 4. The scope of the review is focussed on educational outcomes, and we have no plans to extend this. However, we recognise that the factors affecting these children and young people’s educational outcomes, such as the support they receive, may also lead to other poorer outcomes. That is why our data publication sets out our intention to understand the lifetime outcomes of Children in Need, including exploring the feasibility of matching the Department for Education’s Children in Need data with data from other government departments. Children’s social care and schools have a central role in supporting Children in Need. It is therefore important for us to focus the review on what we can do now whilst making progress and working across government to understand more about other outcomes over the longer-term.

Children in Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 April 2018 to Question 134364, on runaway children, how many looked-after children placed in children’s homes (a) inside and (b) outside the borough of the authority responsible for their care were reported missing.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information on the number of missing incidents of looked after children in children’s homes by the location of the placement is shown in the attached table.These statistics are experimental statistics based on data collected for the first time in 2015 and should be treated with caution as local councils’ recording of this information is improving over time. The figures are therefore not comparable between years and any assessment of trends should take this into account. The information provided does not mean that the number of children going missing is increasing in the volumes indicated in the table.Local councils have improved their reporting of missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve understanding of reporting processes.



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Schools: Construction

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the names and addresses are of all schools in England and Wales which have been constructed via a private finance initiative or PF2 programme.

Nick Gibb: In 2015 and 2016 the Department signed five PF2 contracts and the names and addresses of the 46 schools in these contracts are given in the attached annex. Prior to these PF2 contracts, between 1997 and 2013, 169 contracts were signed by local authorities under the private finance initiative. Whilst the Department holds a list of these contracts, which is published by Her Majesty’s Treasury, it does not maintain a list of the individual schools within these contracts. Local authorities will hold this information.



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Business: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote entrepreneurship in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s careers strategy, published in December 2017, aims to give young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn from employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace. The Careers & Enterprise Company’s network of Enterprise Advisers are senior business volunteers who help schools to work with local businesses. The network is already operating in over half of secondary schools and colleges, and will be available to all of them by 2020. There are a number of opportunities for pupils to develop entrepreneurial skills. The new Business GCSE, which was first taught from 2017, is intended to enable students to develop as commercially minded and enterprising individuals. In 2014, for the first time, financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16 year olds. Schools are free to cover enterprise and entrepreneurship teaching within their personal, social, health and economic education.

Music: Primary Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to improve the level and availability of music education in primary schools.

Nick Gibb: The National Plan for Music Education sets out a vision for schools and education organisations to drive excellence in music education: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-importance-of-music-a-national-plan-for-music-education. The Department for Education is providing £150 million in funding over the next two years for music education hubs to augment and support music teaching in schools so that more children can be offered the experience of a combination of classroom teaching, instrumental and vocal tuition. Music education hubs draw in the expertise of a range of education and arts organisations, such as local orchestras, ensembles, charities and other music groups.

T-levels

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions (a) he and (b) the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills have had with businesses to understand the level of demand for T Levels from employers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government believes that employers are best placed to advise on the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to succeed in their industries. That is why T levels are being designed by panels of employers and industry experts to ensure that students come away with the skills that businesses are looking for. We also held a Skills Summit in November last year where over 100 employers signed a Statement of Action to commit to providing opportunities for young people to develop their skills. In particular, we are talking to employers about how we can best support them to deliver work placements as part of T levels. For example, we have commissioned a research project interviewing employers about their capacity and demand to offer T level work placements. We have also engaged with over 1000 employers through the work placement pilots, who are now offering work placements to students in the 17/18 academic year. A large proportion of responses to the recent consultation on T level implementation were from employer representative organisations – and we will publish the government response to this in due course.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion apprenticeship levy that has (a) been taken from employers’ digital accounts to pay for apprenticeships and (b) been defined as committed spend for future training of apprentices.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Education and Skills Funding Agency, through employers' digital accounts in the Apprenticeship Service, have paid £170 million between 6 May 2017 and the end of March 2018. We publish statistics on commitments to date on our website GOV.UK. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeship-and-levy-statistics-april-2018. Information on committed spend for future training of apprentices is not published as although there are commitments in the system in line with expected spend requirements, there are a number of reasons why these forecasts may change.

T-levels

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion of students completing T levels who will go on to (a) employment, (b) higher education and (c) apprenticeships.

Mr Sam Gyimah: T levels are rigorous, technical study programmes at level 3, designed by employers to meet their skills needs. Their central purpose is to enable students to progress to skilled employment at level 3 and above, and into further relevant training at level 4, 5 or 6, either in the workplace or at an education provider It is too early in the development of T level programmes to identify the proportion of students who will progress to employment, higher education or apprenticeships. We are working closely with employers and higher education providers to ensure that T levels support progression to skilled employment and higher levels of technical education.

Education Fellowship Trust: Schools

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools formerly within the Education Fellowship Trust and awaiting re-brokering have been placed with new trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department has confirmed new trusts for 10 of the 12 schools in the Education Fellowship Trust (TEFT). The department is working with all involved to transfer the academies as smoothly as possible and in a way that secures the financial future for each school as well as the education of their pupils. The schools are being closely monitored by the Regional School Commissioners. Many of the new trusts have an agreement with TEFT to provide school improvement support, enabling pupils to benefit from an outstanding trust immediately.

Ministry of Justice

Justice and Security Act 2013

Mr Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to select a person to review the operation of sections 6 to 11 of the Justice and Security Act 2013; and what the timetable is for that appointment to be announced.

Lucy Frazer: In accordance with s.13(1) and (2) of the Justice and Security Act 2013 (“the Act”), the review of the operation of sections 6-11 of the Act should cover the period from 25 June 2013 to 24 June 2018. On 13 November 2017, the previous Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt Hon David Lidington CBE MP, wrote to his counterparts at the time in the departments that use the Closed Material Procedure (CMP) under the Act, to draw attention to the 5-year review and to discuss arrangements for the review. Discussions between officials are ongoing and an announcement will be made in due course.

Legal Aid Scheme: Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of legal aid in 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Expenditure on legal aid is reported in the MoJ Annual Report & Accounts. The latest MoJ Annual Report & Accounts, which reports on the financial year 2016-17, is published at the following link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017. The MoJ Annual Report & Accounts for 2017-18 will be published in the coming months.

Suspended Sentences

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of sentences for each category of criminal offence resulted in suspended sentences.

Rory Stewart: This information is available in the “criminal justice statistics outcomes by offence tool” athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016

John Worboys

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reasons were for information on the (a) rape kit, (b) remarks made by the sentencing judge at Worboys’ trial and (c) new information that emerged as a result of the legal action against the Metropolitan Police, not being included in the dossier of evidence on the John Worboys case that was provided to the Parole Board.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 18 April 2018



Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, who represented the Secretary of State, opposed release in this case. Indeed, the experienced offender manager, who recommended that Worboys remain in custody, considered that the Parole Board could undertake a thorough risk assessment based on the current convictions and the numerous references to wider allegations contained in the rest of the dossier. The High Court’s findings on how the Parole Board reached the decision in this case, highlighted its failures to undertake further inquiry into the circumstances of offending and, in particular, the extent to which the limited way in which Worboys described his offending may undermine his overall credibility. The High Court found that this was so, even in relation to the offences for which he was convicted. It is the responsibility of the Parole Board to satisfy itself that an offender is no longer a risk to the public and it has powers to request further evidence it deems appropriate. The judgement of Sir Brian Leveson is clear that the Parole Board failed in its duty here. The High Court found that although the sentencing remarks had been omitted, they did not detail the precise circumstances of Worboy’s offending. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service submitted the dossier to the Parole Board on 26 April 2017. The Parole Board had sufficient time to request the sentencing remarks before the oral hearing, which took place on 8 November 2017, but did not so. The sentencing remarks in this case were omitted as the result of an administrative oversight. I can provide reassurance that Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service had implemented fresh and robust checks on every dossier, before the High Court handed down its judgment, to ensure that dossiers are complete for the Parole Board to undertake its consideration in all future parole cases. However, it is not usual to include police evidence, or information in respect of civil actions, in the dossier submitted to the Parole Board. In respect of the kit found by police, I can confirm that the dossier submitted to the Parole Board contained detailed descriptions of Worboy’s method of offending, including his use of substances to drug his victims. As the High Court said, this was an exceptional case, as there were a very high number of complaints to the police, and two of Worboys victims brought a successful action against the Metropolitan Police for its failures to properly investigate their complaints. Therefore, in the light of this judgement, the Secretary of State has pledged that all relevant evidence of past offending should be included in the dossiers submitted to the Parole Board, including, possibly, police evidence, so it can be robustly tested at each Parole Board hearing. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is in the process of issuing new guidance to ensure that this is absolutely clear to those submitting evidence.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018, Spring Statement, HCWS 540, if he will publish a list of where the £17.3 million in EU exit funding for his Department will be allocated.

Lucy Frazer: The MoJ has been allocated £17.3 million for essential EU exit preparations in 2018-19. This will cover additional staff and other requirements to prepare for EU Exit preparations, funding to support judicial functions, and some technical preparations in Courts and the Legal Aid Agency. As with all Reserve funding, finalised allocations will be confirmed at Supplementary estimates 2018-19 in early 2019.

Ministry of Justice: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Dr Phillip Lee: On 8 February 2016, as part of a wider set of measures to support the rehabilitation of offenders, the Prime Minister announced that the Civil Service would not ask for details of criminal convictions at the initial recruitment stage, subject to any exceptions for jobs with specific security requirements.Therefore, to ensure we have the best possible mix of talent and act to remove barriers for all individuals, including ex-offenders, the MoJ fully implemented the Ban the Box initiative that aims to provide fairer opportunities for offenders to compete for jobs by removing the tick box asking about criminal convictions from application forms.The MoJ implemented this initiative in October 2016 and removed the criminal conviction declaration ‘tick box’ to declare a criminal record from application forms at the front end of the recruitment process. If an applicant is successful, security clearances will be carried out prior to appointment (Applying Criminal Records Policy) and each case will be judged on its merits where such offences are identified.Data prior to this date is unavailable due to a change in recruitment system in December 2016.

Ministry of Justice: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Dr Phillip Lee: On 8 February 2016, as part of a wider set of measures to support the rehabilitation of offenders, the Prime Minister announced that the Civil Service would not ask for details of criminal convictions at the initial recruitment stage, subject to any exceptions for jobs with specific security requirements.The MoJ implemented this policy in October 2016 and removed the criminal conviction declaration ‘tick box’ to declare a criminal record from application forms at the front end of the recruitment process. If an applicant is successful, security clearances will be carried out prior to appointment (Applying Criminal Records Policy).

Ministry of Justice: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessors have had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data. The IMG includes Ministerial representation from the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is actively supporting the Cabinet Office’s Race Disparity Unit, which is working with the Office for National Statistics to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups, including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.

Ministry of Justice: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Dr Phillip Lee: In the Government’s response to David Lammy’s review of the treatment of BAME people in the Criminal Justice System, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) committed to publishing more and better data on ethnicity. As a standard, we seek to use 2011 census classifications in MoJ datasets, though in some instances, due to the numbers involved, it is often necessary to publish at the 5+1 level or binary white/BAME level.The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. My department has provided available data on Irish Traveller and Gypsy/Roma groups to the Audit in relation to the criminal justice system.

Debt Collection

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will respond to the recommendations in the report, Taking control, the need for fundamental bailiff reform, published in March 2017.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish an independent, transparent complaints procedure for people affected by enforcement agents.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice intends to launch a Call for Evidence on the implementation of the enforcement agent reforms which were introduced in 2014. The purpose of the Call for Evidence will be to seek views from all interested parties about how the reforms are working in practice. Following the Call for Evidence, the Ministry will respond to the recommendations made in the report “Taking control, the need for fundamental bailiff reform”, including the recommendation that the complaints procedure should be improved.

Magistrates

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Single Justice Procedure.

Lucy Frazer: We have been monitoring the operation of the Single Justice Procedure since its introduction in 2015 and subsequent roll out across England and Wales. We will continue to monitor this as we develop new means for the public to engage with the criminal court system. The proportion of total cases completed through the Single Justice Procedure has steadily increased in each quarter since its introduction. The procedure has been well received among magistrates and legal advisers and all 43 police forces now use this procedure, as well as a number of local authorities, the TV Licensing authority and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. We remain committed to providing a policy review five years after implementation (in 2021).

Environmental Protection Act 1990: North Wales

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of fines imposed in North Wales under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 have been successfully collected in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service systems capture data on the total amount of financial imposition but do not break that information down by offence type. It is not therefore possible to provide the information requested without incurring disproportionate cost. A manual search of all current financial penalty accounts would be required for the period specified to determine the number of fines imposed in North Wales under the Environment Protection Act 1990 and the proportions of these successfully collected.

Driving under Influence: North West

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) were convicted of, (b) received custodial sentences for and (c) received community orders for driving or attempting to drive with excess alcohol at each magistrates court in Lancashire and Cumbria in each month of 2017.

Rory Stewart: Court outcomes data for 2017 will be published on 17 May 2018. Annual data up to 2016 for Lancashire and Cumbria police force area are available in the ‘Motoring tool’ in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, which can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016 This includes data on the number of convictions and sentence types imposed for Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit and Driving or attempting to drive a vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs.

Divorce

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will assess the potential merits of introducing no-fault divorce settlements in helping couples to settle disputes outside court.

Lucy Frazer: The Government wants to help reduce conflict in divorce, particularly when arrangements need to be made about children and finances. We are studying the evidence and potential merits for change.

Custodial Treatment

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the average length of custodial sentence for each type of offence given by each magistrate court in England and Wales.

Rory Stewart: The data on the average length of custodial sentence for every offence given by every magistrate court in England and Wales is not produced or published. The Ministry of Justice analyses court performance and custodial sentence lengths in other ways. Magistrates’ Court data, for period ending December 2016 is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614427/magistrates-court-tool-2016.xlsx The most recent figures (year ending September 2017) for average custodial sentence length by offence type can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-september-2017Please see overview table 5.2c (this table covers both magistrates’ and Crown Courts).

Remand in Custody

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of defendants being remanded in custody was by each type of offence for each magistrate court in England and Wales.

Rory Stewart: The number of defendants remanded in custody by offence group and local justice area in England and Wales in 2016 (latest data currently available) can be viewed in the attached table. Court proceedings data for 2017 are planned for publication in May 2018.



Table for PQ 136259
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.01 KB)

Legal Aid Scheme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the legal aid means test threshold was last reviewed; and when the next review is due to take place.

Lucy Frazer: The civil and criminal means tests were last reviewed and uprated in 2008 and 2009 respectively, however both are evaluated by the government on an ongoing basis. The means test is a crucial way in which the government protects legal aid for those who need it most while balancing this with cost to the taxpayer.As announced by the Lord Chancellor, we are conducting a review of legal aid reforms and plan to take this opportunity to inform wider consideration on the future of legal support in the justice system.

Tribunals: Video Conferencing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 130227, on courts: video conferencing, how many hours of tribunal time are planned to be assessed during that evaluation.

Lucy Frazer: We are currently holding a pilot within the tax chamber which allows both appellants and HMRC to join a fully video hearing from their own location and using their own equipment, using newly developed web based software. We have commissioned an independent academic evaluation which will give us insight into the way people engage with the system, identify what is working well and what needs to be improved.It is planned that 24 cases will be heard during the video hearings pilot for an estimated total of 48 hours.

Courts: Closures

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts have closed in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many tribunals have closed in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Lucy Frazer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold court and tribunal closure information by parliamentary constituency, however, I provide below a list of closures recorded between financial years 2010-11 and 2016-17. In the case of tribunals, we do not hold information centrally for tribunal closures pre-dating 2015. Courts and tribunals closed during 2010-2011 financial yearWantage Magistrates’ Court Courts and tribunals closed during 2011–2012 financial yearAberdare County CourtAberdare Magistrates CourtAbertillery Magistrates CourtActon Magistrates CourtAlnwick Magistrates Court (FPC)Amersham Magistrates CourtAmmanford Magistrates CourtAshford County CourtAshford Magistrates CourtBalham Youth CourtBarking & Dagenham Magistrates CourtBarry Magistrates CourtBatley & Dewsbury Magistrates Court (FPC)Bingley (Keighley) Magistrates CourtBishop Auckland County CourtBishop Auckland Magistrates CourtBlandford Forum Magistrates CourtBlaydon Magistrates CourtBrentford Magistrates CourtBridgwater Magistrates CourtCamborne Magistrates CourtCardigan Magistrates CourtCheltenham County CourtChepstow County CourtChepstow Magistrates CourtChorley County CourtCirencester Magistrates CourtCoalville Magistrates CourtColeford Magistrates CourtConsett County CourtCromer Magistrates CourtDaventry Magistrates CourtDewsbury County CourtDidcot Magistrates CourtEly Magistrates CourtEpping Magistrates CourtEpsom County CourtEpsom Magistrates CourtEvesham County CourtFlint Magistrates CourtFrome Magistrates CourtGoole County CourtGoole Magistrates CourtGosforth Magistrates CourtGrantham County CourtGravesend County CourtGrays Magistrates CourtGuisborough (East Langbaurgh) Magistrates CourtHalesowen Magistrates CourtHarlow County CourtHarrow Magistrates CourtHaywards Heath County CourtHemel Hempstead Magistrates CourtHitchin County CourtHoniton Magistrates CourtHoughton-Le-Spring Magistrates CourtHuntingdon County CourtIlford County CourtIlkeston Magistrates CourtKeighley County CourtKidderminster County CourtKingston-upon-Thames Magistrates CourtKnowsley Magistrates CourtLewes Magistrates CourtLiskeard Magistrates CourtLlandovery Magistrates CourtLlangefni Magistrates CourtLlwynypia Magistrates CourtLowestoft County Court (FPC)Ludlow County CourtLudlow Magistrates CourtLyndhurst Magistrates CourtMarket Drayton Magistrates CourtMarket Harborough Magistrates CourtMelton Mowbray County CourtMelton Mowbray Magistrates CourtMid-Sussex (Haywards Heath) Magistrates CourtNewark County CourtNewark Magistrates Court (FPC)Newbury County CourtNorthwich County Court (same building as Mags)Northwich Magistrates Court (FPC) (same as County)Oswestry County CourtOswestry Magistrates CourtPenrith County Court (same building as Mags)Penrith Magistrates Court (same building a County)Penzance County CourtPenzance Magistrates CourtPontypool County CourtPoole County CourtPwllheli Magistrates CourtRawtenstall County CourtRawtenstall Magistrates CourtRedditch County CourtRetford Magistrates CourtRochdale Magistrates Court (FPC)Rugby County CourtRugby Magistrates CourtRuncorn County CourtRutland Magistrates CourtSalford County CourtSalford Magistrates Court (FPC)Shrewsbury County CourtSittingbourne Magistrates CourtSkegness County CourtSouthport (North Sefton) Magistrates CourtSouthport County CourtStourbridge County CourtStratford Upon Avon County CourtSudbury Magistrates CourtSutton Coldfield Magistrates CourtSutton Magistrates CourtSwaffham Magistrates CourtTamworth County CourtTamworth Magistrates CourtThetford Magistrates CourtTotnes Magistrates CourtTowcester Magistrates CourtTynedale (Hexham) Magistrates Court (FPC)Wellingborough County CourtWest Bromwich Magistrates CourtWhitehaven County CourtWhitehaven Magistrates CourtWimborne Magistrates CourtWisbech Magistrates CourtWitney Magistrates CourtWoking Magistrates CourtWoolwich Magistrates CourtWorksop County Court Courts and tribunals closed during year 2012-2013 financial year Burton Upon Trent County CourtHaringey Magistrates CourtPontefract County CourtPontefract Magistrates Court (FPC)Stoke on Trent Magistrates CourtSelby Magistrates CourtTrowbridge County Court Courts and tribunals closed during 2013-2014 financial yearAbergavenny Magistrates' CourtAndover Magistrates CourtDenbigh Magistrates CourtNorth Liverpool Community Justice CentreTower Bridge Magistrates Court Courts and tribunals closed during 2014-15 financial yearAlton Magistrates’ CourtBracknell Magistrates’ CourtBury St Edmunds TribunalKnutsford Crown CourtNeath Magistrates’ CourtNewcastle Tribunal - Quayside HouseSpalding Magistrates’ Court Courts and tribunals closed during 2015-2016 financial yearAccrington County CourtAccrington Magistrates' CourtAldershot & Farnham County CourtArcade Chambers - Aldershot TribunalBasildon Acorn House - Basildon TribunalCambridge RPTS TribunalCambridge Tribunal - Eastbrook HouseChesterfield County CourtChesterfield St Marys Court - Chesterfield TribunalDoncaster Tribunal - Portland PlaceEpsom TribunalHarrogate County CourtHereford County CourtNorwich Tribunal - Elliot HouseRichmond upon Thames Magistrates' CourtShrewsbury Magistrates' CourtSolihull Magistrates' CourtThe Crescent Centre - Bristol TribunalWaltham Forest Magistrates' CourtWorksop Magistrates' Court Courts and tribunals closed during 2016-2017 financial yearAylesbury Magistrates and County CourtBarnstaple Magistrates' and County Court (Crown part only)Bournemouth Magistrates' CourtBrecon Law CourtsBridgend Law CourtsBurton upon Trent Magistrates' CourtBury St Edmunds Crown & Magistrates' CourtBuxton Magistrates' & County CourtCaerphilly Magistrates' CourtCarmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall)Consett Magistrates' CourtCorby Magistrates' CourtDartford Magistrates' CourtDolgellau Crown & Magistrates' CourtDoncaster County CourtDorchester Crown Court (Weymouth & Dorchester Combined)Durham Elvet House - Durham TribunalFareham Magistrates' CourtFeltham Magistrates' CourtGloucester Magistrates' CourtGrantham Magistrates' CourtGreenwich Magistrates' CourtHalifax County CourtHalifax Magistrates' Court (Calderdale)Hammersmith Magistrates' and County Court (County Court Only)Hartlepool Magistrates' & County CourtHinckley Magistrates' CourtKettering Magistrates' CourtKing's Lynn County CourtLowestoft Magistrates' CourtMacclesfield County CourtMacclesfield Magistrates' CourtMiddlesbrough Centre North East - Middlesbrough TribunalMorpeth & Berwick County CourtNeath and Port Talbot Civil and Family CourtOldham Magistrates' CourtOrmskirk Magistrates' CourtPocock Street Tribunals Hearing CentrePontypridd Magistrates' CourtPrestatyn Magistrates' CourtRedhill Magistrates' & Reigate County CourtRhyl County CourtRotherham Magistrates' & County CourtRuncorn (Halton) Magistrates' CourtSandwell Magistrates' CourtScunthorpe Magistrates' & County CourtSkegness Magistrates' CourtSouthampton Barrack BlockSt Helens Magistrates' CourtStroud Magistrates' CourtSwansea Crown Court (Guildhall)Tameside Magistrates' & County Court (County Part Only)Taunton Blackdown House - Taunton TribunalTottenham Magistrates' CourtTrafford Magistrates' Court & Altrincham County CourtTunbridge Wells County CourtWakefield & Pontefract Magistrates' CourtWarrington Combined Court (County Part Only)Warrington Magistrates' CourtWest Berkshire Magistrates' Court (Newbury)Weymouth & Dorchester Combined Court Offices (Westwey House)Wrexham Rhyd Broughton (Tribunal)Yate Magistrates' Court (North Avon)Yeovil County Court

Department for International Trade

Free Trade: Trade Agreements

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect on the protection of human rights of arbitration clauses in Free Trade Agreements.

Greg Hands: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2018, UIN: 135535.

Trade Agreements

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make it is policy to include clauses to protect human rights and the environment in negotiations on future bilateral trade agreements.

Greg Hands: The UK has a strong history of protecting human rights and the environment and will maintain the support and promotion of these values globally. This will continue as we leave the EU. We are committed to upholding the UK’s high standards.

Department for International Trade: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade operates its recruitment processes in line with the Ban the Box principles. We are committed to improving diversity of opportunity and creating an inclusive working environment that attracts the best talent and makes the most of potential skills and productivity of ex-offenders in the community. Our records do not indicate any specific exclusions in the period requested.

Department for International Trade: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade already operates its recruitment processes in line with the Ban the Box principles. We are committed to improving diversity of opportunity and creating an inclusive working environment that attracts the best talent and makes the most of potential skills and productivity of ex-offenders in the community.

Department for International Trade: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Greg Hands: No employees of the Department for International Trade are paid lower than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation, and we insist that suppliers pay at least the National Minimum Wage as part of our contracting policies and procedures.

Export Controls

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134889, on Export Controls, for what reason his Department sifts licence applications into three categories.

Graham Stuart: The three categories are used in an initial sift of all applications, to allow for more efficient and effective processing. The sifting process has no bearing on the outcome of the application. All applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many arms export licences have been refused in the past year; and what the country of destination was in each such application.

Graham Stuart: The Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) of licences granted and refused for military exports on GOV.UK and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-dataCurrently this includes information up to 31 December 2017. Information covering 1 January to 31 March 2018 will be published in July 2018.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Community Relations

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, within what timeframe he plans to implement the proposed integrated communities strategy.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Consultation on the Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper will close on 5 June 2018. The Government will respond in due course.The Green Paper includes a range of national and local proposals across government. A number of these are already being implemented while others will be taken forward having considered views expressed through consultation.

Mobile Homes

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 111036, on Mobile Homes, if his Department will record net gain in new pitches.

Dominic Raab: There are currently no plans to change how we collect statistics on new pitches. The caravan count takes place every summer, and combines data from the Affordable Homes Programme and local authorities to create a snapshot of new provision. The Department does not have a mechanism to track sites no longer in use.

Affordable Housing: Expenditure

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the affordable housing budget was in each of the last five years; and what proportion of that budget in each year was allocated to London.

Dominic Raab: The Government funds affordable housing through the Affordable Homes Programme. It does not announce funding on a yearly basis. The allocations of funding are as follows:ProgrammeAmount of funding Affordable Homes Programme 2011 - 2015£4.5 billionAffordable Homes Programme 2015 – 2018*£2.9 billionShared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 - 2021£5.7 billion (including £1 billion of commitments from the 2015 – 18 programme.Additional £1.4 billion announced at Autumn Statement 2016.Additional £2 billion announced on 4 October 2017. * In addition to the 2015 - 2018 programme we also announced the Rent to Buy loan scheme of £200 million funding to deliver Rent to Buy homes.In recognition of the acute needs and affordability pressure, London will be receiving £4.8 billion of the Affordable Homes Programme budget from 2015 – 2022, to deliver at least 116,000 homes by March 2022. This was extended beyond the 2016-2021 programme to allow for additional delivery in London.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Jake Berry: My Department does not employ any staff earning less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.One of our agencies, the Planning Inspectorate, currently has two agency staff employed on a temporary basis earning above the National Living Wage but less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. These staff will be paid the higher Living Wage Foundation rate after 12 weeks of employment.Our other Executive Agency, the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, has no directly employed staff paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. On-site catering services are provided under an outsourced contract and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has no responsibility for the level of pay determined for those employed as part of this contract.Cleaning services and security to buildings managed by the Department are provided under outsourced facilities management contracts. Outsourced staff servicing the Department’s buildings that are not in London are currently paid the minimum of the Living Wage Foundation Living Wage.Cleaning services and security to the Department’s headquarters based in 2 Marsham Street are provided under a contract managed by the Home Office, as major occupiers of this particular site.

Council Tax: Empty Property

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government has taken to tackle owners of empty residential properties relabelling those properties as second homes to avoid the empty home Council Tax surcharge.

Rishi Sunak: The administration of council tax, including the premium on long-term empty properties, is the responsibility of local government. Local authorities have their own inspection and enforcement regimes in order to satisfy themselves as to whether a property should be subject to a premium.

Council Tax: Empty Property

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to use Council Tax data effectively for the enforcement of (a) the empty home Council Tax surcharge, (b) Empty Dwelling Management Orders and (c) other enforcement measures.

Rishi Sunak: Local authorities have powers to tackle empty homes through the council tax empty homes premium and Empty Dwelling Management Orders. Local authorities can already use data collected for the purposes of council tax administration to assist with making effective use of these powers.

Housing: Prices

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the article entitled Tory housing minister Dominic Raab warns that immigration has pushed up house prices, published by the Times on 8 April 2018, if he will publish the analysis conducted by his Department on the effect of immigration on property prices in the last 25 years.

Dominic Raab: I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 135737 on 18 April 2018.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to support leaseholders of tower blocks incurring costs to replace unsafe aluminium composite material cladding installed by local government or housing association freeholders.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to support leaseholders in tower blocks who are unable to afford requested charges to (a) fund continuous waking watch fire patrols as a result of unsafe aluminium composite material cladding and (b) replace such cladding.

Dominic Raab: The Secretary of State announced on 4 December that the Department is providing additional funding to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), an arm’s length-body which provides free initial legal advice to leaseholders, to advise on fire safety issues.The Government would like to see building owners doing all they can to protect leaseholders from the costs of interim measures and cladding remediation – either by funding it themselves or looking at alternative routes such as insurance claims, warranties or legal action.The Department is keeping the situation under review.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that aluminium composite material cladding on tower blocks that has failed Building Research Establishment tests is replaced.

Dominic Raab: Nothing is more important than keeping people safe. That is why we established the Building Safety Programme, which has been working with local authorities and building owners to identify properties that might be at risk and ensure that all building owners take necessary remedial action to improve the fire safety of tower blocks as swiftly as possible. We have offered free screening tests at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to all owners of buildings over 18 metres with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding to establish whether the materials submitted are of limited combustibility, and we have provided a note to assist building owners undertaking remediation work.A variety of interim safety measures have also been put in place so that everyone is kept safe. A list of these measures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648775/Update_on_Interim_Mitigation_Measures_290917.pdf

Housing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what meetings have taken place between representatives of (a) his Department and (i) Homes England, (ii) the Homes and Communities Agency and (ii) London and Quadrant Properties since 1 January 2016.

Dominic Raab: The Department holds regular meetings with Homes England and housing associations, including London and Quadrant, on housing policy on regulation and the supply of more affordable homes. To provide this information on Civil Servants would be at disproportionate cost to the Department.Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data

L and Q Housing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he or his Department has been made aware of any breaches of housing regulations by London and  Quadrant Properties since 1 January 2016.

Dominic Raab: The independent regulator of social housing is responsible for regulating registered providers of social housing. It considers information about any breaches of the standards it sets for housing associations, and where there is a breach publishes a regulatory notice or reports this in its regulatory judgments, details of which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-judgements-and-regulatory-notices. There have been no notices issued against London and Quadrant.

Housing: Finance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funds have been provided by (a) his Department, (b) Homes England and (c) the Homes and Communities Agency to London and Quadrant Properties in financial years (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17, and (iii) 2017-18.

Dominic Raab: The following funding has been provided by homes England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to London and Quadrant properties for financial year 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18:The Government guaranteed a bond of £175 million to L&Q on 24 November 2016 under the Private Sector Guarantee Scheme.Additionally Homes England have provided funding to L&Q and East Thames (now a subsidiary of L&Q):Developing Organisation NameReporting Programme GroupActual Spend 2015/16Actual Spend 2016/17Actual Spend 2017/18L&QHelp to Buy06,887,6738,534,000L&QRight to Acquire29,500013,500East Thames Partnership LtdHelp To Buy06,903,6630East Thames Group LimitedAHP 2015-180751,5000East Thames Group LimitedCare and Support0126,0000In addition, the GLA has provided £394,740,000 funding to London and Quadrant from the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Jake Berry: The IT systems which my Department uses are (a) 2 more than three (b) 1 more than five and (c) 2 more than eight years old respectively.All the departmental IT systems are maintained regularly, with product updates and patches being applied as part of regular patching cycles. Of the two older systems, one is due to be decommissioned and replaced by a new system later this year and the other was successfully migrated to a new cloud based platform with the software being suitably updated to new supported technologies in 2016.

Private Rented Housing: Social Security Benefits

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what legislation is in place to prevent discrimination against (a) housing benefit and (b) universal credit recipients in the private rented sector; and what assessment has been made of the adequacy of that legislation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government appreciates the problems that some housing benefit and universal credit claimants can face in finding accommodation in the private rented sector. We strongly encourage landlords and agents to look at all potential and existing tenants in receipt of housing benefit or universal credit on an individual basis and we will shortly be publishing a new How to Let guide to help landlords better understand their responsibilities. The Government is helping benefit claimants to access the private rented sector through further Targeted Affordability Funding in 2018/19 and 2019/20.There is no legislation that prevents private rented sector landlords and agents choosing not to let their property to an individual claiming (a) housing benefit or (b) universal credit. However, the Equalities Act 2010 exists to prohibit acts of discrimination against individuals in terms of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.

Waste Management

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to introduce any proposals in the revised National Planning Policy framework to make changes to the Waste Planning Policy; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: As part of the consultation on the draft revised National Planning Policy Framework, the Government has asked at question 42 if any consequential changes should be made to the National Planning Policy for Waste, as a result of the proposed changes to the Framework. The consultation closes on 10 May 2018. We welcome views on this issue in response to the consultation.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Dorset (Structural Changes) (Modification of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) Regulations 2018 disapply the provision in Section 7(3) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 to require consultation with every local authority affected before making an order under Section 7(1)(a) of that 2007 Act.

Rishi Sunak: The modifications provided by the 2018 Regulations are designed to enable a streamlined locally led process for structural change to be taken forward, having regard to the extensive consultation undertaken by Dorset councils, and the opportunity for those interested to make representations - provided by the Secretary of State in the representation period running from 7 November 2017 until 8 January 2018.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the amendments to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 proposed in the Dorset (Structural Changes) (Modification of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) Regulations 2018 are retrospective; and whether analogous retrospective provisions are also proposed for other local government areas in England.

Rishi Sunak: The 2018 Regulations contain no provisions which have retrospective effect.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason (a) he has not used and (b) does not intend to use his powers under Section 2 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 to invite proposals from local authorities in Dorset for single tier local government.

Rishi Sunak: The Government's approach to unitarisation in Dorset is that proposals for unitarisation should be wholly locally led at the initiative of councils in the local area, rather than in response to a Government invitation. This is in line with the Government's wider policy in the Department's Single Departmental Plan published on 14 December 2017 which is 'to consider unitarisation and mergers between councils where requested'.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the evidential basis is for the statement in his letter of 27 March 2018 to the hon. Member for Christchurch that the draft of the Dorset (Structural Changes) (Modification of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) Regulations 2018 have been developed and worked up with all nine councils in Dorset; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: Officials in my Department have worked closely with Dorset councils, since the Secretary of State's statement, HCWS486, on 26 February 2018, to take forward the implementation of unitarisation in Dorset.

Local Government Finance

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2018 to Question 133811, on local government finance, for what reason he is not able to make the information requested available immediately; and if he will place a copy of that information in the Library.

Rishi Sunak: As outlined in the answer of 26 March 2018 to Question UIN 133811, on local government finance, the information will be set out in the Department’s 2017-18 Resource Accounts and Annual Report, which we expect to publish in late June or early July. The report will be presented to Parliament, with a copy of the report also placed in the Library of the House.

Fire Prevention: Preston

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134374 on Fire Prevention: Preston, what discussions his Department has had with Preston City Council on the external cladding installed on the exterior of properties in the (a) Fishwick, (b) St Matthews and (c) Town Centre wards under the Community Energy Saving Programme; and whether that cladding has made properties unsafe to reside in due to risk of fire or mould.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Unitary Councils

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons his Department has changed the lower parameter of a population of 300,000 for a unitary authority from being set only in guidance to being a requirement; and if he will make a statement.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) reasons and (b) evidential basis are for the threshold of a population of 300,000 being chosen as a requirement for unitary authorities.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for other unitary authorities of its requirement for the population of a unitary council at a minimum being substantially in excess of 300,000.

Rishi Sunak: It is the statutory guidance, issued by the Secretary of State on 27 March 2018 under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, which states that a proposal for unitary local government should seek to achieve unitary authorities with populations as a minimum substantially in excess of 300,000.The Secretary of State has issued this guidance, including on population size, having regard to past reorganisations, the Northamptonshire County Council Best Value Inspection Report of March 2018, and research, including that from the County Councils Network in 2016 into lessons from previous unitarisations which found that the scale of a unitary council was key, with larger authorities able to deliver economies of scale while smaller unitary councils were more likely to be less resilient, putting key services at potential risk.

Local Government Finance: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135392, on Local Government Finance: Fire Prevention, which local authorities have had their claims for funding for fire safety work deemed (a) essential and (b) non-essential.

Dominic Raab: Local authorities will need to determine what measures are essential to make each of their buildings fire safe. This will need to be done as part of a whole fire safety strategy for each individual building, tasking into account expert advice, any directions or advice from the local fire and rescue service, and other fire safety measures present.41 local authorities have been in touch with the Department regarding fire safety works. Of these, 14 have identified the need to carry out essential fire safety works.

Local Government Finance: EU Grants and Loans

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the level of funding allocated to local authorities through the (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund.

Jake Berry: In England, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) are collectively known as the Structural Funds. MHCLG are responsible for managing the England ERDF programme and DWP the ESF programme. For the 2014-20 programming period the majority of the Structural Funds have been notionally allocated to Local Enterprise Partnership areas. These allocations were announced by the Secretary of State for Business on 17 April 2014. The letter notifying Local Enterprise Partnership Chairs and MPs of the allocations can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307492/bis-14-772-uk-allocations-eu-structural-funds-2014-2020-letter.pdf

Local Government

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities in England have been invited to submit proposals for single tier local government under Section 2 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 since 1 January 2016; and what criteria he has applied in each case to trigger the decision to make the invitation.

Rishi Sunak: Following the recommendation as to the preferred way forward in the ‘Northamptonshire County Council Best Value Inspection’ report, the Secretary of State issued an invitation on 27 March 2018 to the eight principal councils in Northamptonshire to submit proposals for unitary authorities. No other invitations have been issued under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 since 1 January 2016.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason he has not submitted a separate report to Parliament under Section 15(12) of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 explaining the effect of the Dorset (Structural Changes) (Modification of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) Regulations 2018; and what the evidential basis is for those regulations.

Rishi Sunak: The Secretary of State laid before Parliament the Draft Report on the Dorset (Structural Changes) (Modification of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) Regulations 2018 on 29 March 2018 as required by Section 15(12) of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016. This report is available at: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111168141/pdfs/ukdsiod_9780111168141_en.pdf

Unitary Councils: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of 15 November 2017, Official Report, column 549, when he asked Christchurch Borough Council if it wished to merge with the unitary districts of Bournemouth and Poole; and what response was received to that question.

Rishi Sunak: The Dorset councils’ proposal is for structural change not for a merger of district councils.However, Christchurch Borough Council had the opportunity to make representations following the Secretary of State’s announcement that he was minded to implement the proposal, and having availed themselves of this opportunity submitted substantive representations, to which the Secretary of State gave careful consideration, and which I placed in the Library of the House in response to my Hon Friend’s Question UIN 129890.

Unitary Councils

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his oral contribution of 28 March 2018, Official Report, column 810 that the abolition of nine existing councils and the creation of two unitary councils would generate annual savings of approximately £28 million, what the (a) evidential basis is for those savings and (b) what the (i) baseline figure and (ii) the financial year to which that baseline figure applies are; and in what year those annual savings are estimated to begin.

Rishi Sunak: The evidence for the savings, including the baseline assumptions and timings, is the material submitted by Dorset Councils, including the reports by Local Partnerships and PWC, available from www.futuredorset.co.uk and the representations made in January 2018 which I have placed in the Library of the House in response to my Hon Friend’s Question UIN 129890.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he or officials in his Department offered advice to Dorset councils on their legal power to submit proposals for single tier local government before proposals were submitted in February 2017; and under what legal authority his Department has expended resources considering those proposals.

Rishi Sunak: Neither Ministers nor officials give legal advice to councils as to their powers.With regard to his legal authority, the Secretary of State has statutory powers under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, and inherent non-statutory powers to consider proposals made by local authorities.

Ministry of Defence

CarillionAmey

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of CarillianAmey.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence remains protected by the Joint Venture Parent Company Guarantee/Indemnity Insurance in place for CarillionAmey. If in the future the contract is novated this will be subject to separate financial control checks. As part of the Department’s contingency planning work a scrutiny of Amey's financial standing was carried out by Price Waterhouse Cooper, and no concerns were raised. Amey's parent company Ferrovial are providing financial backing to their contracts.

Chemical Weapons: Armed Forces

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) recent assessment his Department has made of and (b) further steps his Department is taking to tackle the threat to UK Armed Forces of chemical weapons.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps the threat from chemical weapons under constant review and will take full account of recent events in Salisbury and Syria. We are continually working on improvements to our Armed Forces' capabilities against a wide range of Chemical Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats. The MOD's Modernising Defence Programme (MDP) will ensure that Defence and the Armed Forces are configured and equipped to address evolving threats, including from CBRN, that we and our allies face. The Department intends to be in a position to share headline MDP conclusions by the summer.

Ministry of Defence: Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 27 March 2018 and 3 April 2018 to Questions 133873 and 133719, whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials, (c) special advisers and (d) others representing his Department have been in contact with (i) Cambridge Analytica, (ii) SCL Group and (iii) Strategic Communication Laboratories by (A) telephone, (B) email, (C) letter and (D) other form of communication on the statement on the Cambridge Analytica website that its methodology has been approved by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations-in-the-ministry-of-defenceThese records show that there have been no meetings between MOD Ministers and Cambridge Analytica, SCL Group or Strategic Communications Laboratories.

Syria: Peacekeeping Operations

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, pursuant to Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 133652, on Syria: Peacekeeping Operations, how many UK ground troops have been operating in Syria, including those embedded with US forces; from which regiments those troops came from; and where in Syria they were based.

Mark Lancaster: Details of UK Armed Forces embedded in other countries' forces are published annually in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts. For reasons of operational and personnel security we do not provide details on the units or locations of our embedded personnel. More broadly, UK Armed Forces are playing a leading role in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh. The UK has around 1,400 military personnel committed to counter-Daesh operations across the Middle East.

Matt Tonroe

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department knows which group was responsible for the killing of British soldier Sergeant Matt Tonroe in Manbij.

Mark Lancaster: The Government will not provide any additional information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Sgt Matt Tonroe at this time.

European Fighter Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on Project Centurion; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: Holding answer received on 18 April 2018



The RAF have begun training with Meteor and Storm Shadow. Brimstone operational evaluation will begin in the summer. The planned Project Centurion in-service date is on track for the end of the year.

AWACS

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2018 to Question 132489, on AWACS, whether he plans to assess the effect on the UK defence industrial base of agreeing a foreign military sale in respect of awarding a contract for the RAF's airborne early warning aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: Holding answer received on 18 April 2018



Any decision on the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) Capability Sustainment Programme) will be taken in the best interests of the National Security of the United Kingdom against current and emergent threats. It is too early to comment further at this time.

Defence

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role his Department played in the UK Industrial Strategy Defence Sector deal; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for the conclusion of the UK Industrial Strategy Defence Sector deal; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy have received initial ideas for a Defence Sector Deal from the Defence Growth Partnership and intend to provide feedback on proposals in the coming weeks.

Defence: Radar

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the (a) sustainability and (b) competitiveness of the the UK defence radar sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to support the expansion of the UK defence radar industrial footprint; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) working in partnership with the Departments for International Trade and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is committed to help the UK defence industry grow and compete successfully. This was reflected in our approach to the refreshed Defence Industrial Policy which sets out the further steps we are taking to foster an internationally competitive and innovative UK defence industry.A range of work is taking place to ensure the UK has the right Radar capabilities to meet current and future threats while securing value for money for the taxpayer.

Defence

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to support the long-term viability of the UK defence industrial sector; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: Our refreshed Defence Industrial Policy outlines the action we have already taken, and the further steps we will take to help the UK defence industry grow and compete.The Government's Industrial Strategy also sets out how we will boost the productivity throughout the economy. Many of the themes in this apply to Defence which has an important role to play in promoting competition, innovation and exports.

Defence: Radar

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of procuring a deployable long range air-defence radar; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to upgrade or replace the radar system to ensure a long range air-defence radar; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence keeps its equipment requirements under continuous review to ensure it can react to the evolving Defence environment.Industry has been invited to respond to a request for information for a transportable long-range air defence radar which could be operated in a range of environmental conditions.

Military Decorations

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to issue a National Defence Medal to all armed forces service personnel and veterans.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 December 2015 to Question 19127 to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Melanie Onn).



WQnA extract on Veterans Military Decorations
(Word Document, 22.58 KB)

Frigates: Cruise Missiles

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to fit vertical launch cruise missiles on (a) Type 26 and (b) Type 31 frigates; and if he will make a statement.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a module for vertical launch missiles is planned for inclusion as part of the specification for the Type 31 frigate.

Guto Bebb: The design of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship enables a broad and flexible choice of weapons throughout the service life of the ships. Final decisions regarding the exact weapons these ships will carry will be made closer to their in-service date.Regarding the weapons specification and fit of the Type 31e Frigates, we have now entered the Competitive Design Phase and final decisions will be made at the Main Decision Investment point, taking into account the role of the vessel, operating environment and future threats.

Ministry of Defence: Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 133851, and with reference to the statement in the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre document dated 11 January 2012, published by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 28 March 2018, that SCL were cleared to routine access of UK secret information, whether (a) Cambridge Analytica and (b) SCL Group Limited or as formerly named Strategic Communication Laboratories Limited have, since 2010, had access to UK or international partners’ information classified as confidential or above; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: Cambridge Analytica has never been cleared to hold confidential information.SCL Group's UK facility was cleared to hold confidential information between 2008 and 2013. The clearance was sought on behalf of an international government and there was no UK involvement in the work. Since then, the company has not been permitted to hold either UK or international partners' information, at confidential or above, at any of its UK facilities.

Syria: Military Intervention

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his article in the Sunday Times on 15 April 2018, entitled Chemical weapons can never be tolerated, if he will publish the full risk assessment made of the risks posed to civilians of the destruction of the Him Shinshar site near Homs by British missiles.

Mark Lancaster: We will not publish the full risk assessment undertaken in relation to the strikes on the Him Shinshar site on 14 April 2018; it is our consistent policy not to publish such information. These strikes were conducted following a rigorous scrutiny and approval process in conjunction with scientific analysis by DSTL and others. In line with International Humanitarian Law, the UK strives to protect civilians from the effects of military action. All assessments of the operation have demonstrated that no collateral damage was caused by our strikes.

Ministry of Defence: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Guto Bebb: This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Tornado Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to retain any Tornado GR4 aircraft in service beyond 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: There are currently no plans for Tornado GR4 to be retained in service beyond 2019.

Ministry of Defence: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of contractors for contracts outsourced by his Department.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly monitors the performance of all its contractors. This is carried out through robust monitoring of contract performance indicators and taking action as appropriate where standards are not met.

Armed Forces: Vacancies

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 8, paragraph 12 of the report of the National Audit Office, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel on 18 April 2018, on how many occasions leave has been cancelled in order to maintain operations.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 8, paragraph 12 of the report of the National Audit Office, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel, published on 18 April 2018, how many individuals have had their leave cancelled in order to maintain operations.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 8, paragraph 12 the report of the National Audit Office, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel, on how many occasions individuals have had their training cancelled in order to maintain operations.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Vacancies

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to  page 19, paragraph 2.5 of the report of the National Audit Office, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel, if he will publish the 7 pilot pinch-points.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  with reference to page 19, paragraph 2.5 of the report of the National Audit Office, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel, if he will list the 32 engineering pinch-points.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not publish the names or specific details of Operational Pinch Points (OPPs) as this information would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that only British steel is used to build the three new Royal Navy support ships regardless of the outcome of the international tender.

Guto Bebb: Decisions about the sourcing of steel for our major procurement programmes are taken by our prime contractors, taking into account the cost, timeliness of availability and the specification of steel needed to meet the requirements of defence contracts. These considerations allow defence contractors to deliver value for money for the taxpayer, and will be finalised upon contract award.European and UK procurement regulations do not allow the Ministry of Defence to mandate the use of specific suppliers as part of the contract.

Military Bases: Trespass

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: What progress his Department has made on taking legal action against people who set up illegal encampments on its land.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence always takes appropriate and timely legal action to remove people occupying its land unlawfully. Any eviction must be in accordance with policy and the legal process.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people who have ten year personal independence awards have had a planned intervention in advance of the original end date of their claim in each of the last two years.

Sarah Newton: Reviews of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards, which can be paid at one of eight rates, are a key part of the benefit and ensure that claimants continue to receive the correct level of support. Planned interventions take place up to one year before an award is due to expire. PIP was introduced in April 2013, therefore no claimants in receipt of 10 year awards have yet received a planned intervention.

Universal Credit: Internet

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of visits to the Universal Credit website result in claimants successfully accessing the service following the (a) creation and (b) re-use of a verified account.

Alok Sharma: Over 99% of claims are made online, and claimants can contact their Work Coach at any point during their claim via email and their online journal if they require further help, including accessing the service.

Personal Independence Payment: Motor Neurone Disease

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of granting indefinite personal independence payment awards to people diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Sarah Newton: Reviews of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, are a key part of the benefit and ensure that not only do awards remain correct where needs may change, including increasing, but that we also maintain contact with the claimant, both features missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. Importantly, the length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten year point. We are aware through discussion with stakeholders such as the Motor Neurone Disease Association, that some people are not receiving an award duration that is appropriate to their condition and needs arising. We are, therefore, currently developing improved guidance to ensure that those with severe and/or progressive conditions, who are awarded the highest level of PIP, get an award duration that is appropriate and avoids unnecessary reviews. Once we have written the new guidance we will take that through a process of testing to ensure it works effectively and is delivering as intended.

Children: Maintenance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of how annual bonuses affect the payments recipients of such bonuses are required to make through Child Maintenance Service arrangements.

Kit Malthouse: A central principle of the statutory child maintenance scheme is that parents should support children in line with the money they have earned. Bonus payments as well as any other earned income subject to tax are taken into account by the Child Maintenance Service to assess the amount of maintenance due. No estimate has been made on the difference such payments make to liabilities created.

Children: Maintenance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints her Department has received in relation to the effect on the calculation of child maintenance payments of annual bonus payments.

Kit Malthouse: The department does not collate information on complaints received specifically in relation to the effect on the calculations of child maintenance payments due to annual bonus payments. Obtaining such information to answer this question could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of Support for Mortgage Interest claimants in each region in England.

Kit Malthouse: The table below provides forecasts of the caseload for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) in 2017/18 by English region. RegionEstimated SMI caseload (000s)North East6North West16Yorkshire and Humberside9East Midlands7West Midlands10East9London11South East12South West8  Total89 Notes:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 cases and may not sum due to rounding.DWP does not hold a single source of data on SMI claims to analyse. Analysis of regional SMI caseloads are based on DWP’s Quarterly Statistical Extract (QSE) data. QSE is a quarterly 5 per cent sample of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS) and Pension Credit (PC) claimants. Quality assured data at regional level is not available for ESA or UC claimants receiving SMI. In the absence of data, it has been assumed that the regional breakdown of ESA claimants is the same as the JSA, IS and PC caseload. It is estimated that in 2017/18 under 1% of the SMI caseload claimed UC; these cases are not included in the figures in the table above.Estimates use QSE data over four quarters up to August 2017 and are calibrated to the 2017/18 SMI caseload forecast published in the Spring Statement benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2018: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2018.

Jobcentres: Disability

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2017 to Question 133491, what guidance her Department has issued to jobcentre staff to ensure that access to toilet facilities is available for customers with a disability.

Alok Sharma: Guidance is available to all staff on the support they should provide to customers with a disability who need access to toilet facilities in our jobcentres. This ensures that we meet our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. As each jobcentre is different, the approach we take is dependent on the facilities available at each site and we continually monitor and assess our services to ensure the needs of all our customers are met. Guidance states that each jobcentre must have clear plans in place for their particular office and this information is shared with all staff at the site.

Jobcentres: Disability

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2017 to Question 133491 on Government Departments: Disability, how many and what proportion of job centres have dedicated toilet facilities for customers with a disability.

Kit Malthouse: There are 197 job centres that have dedicated toilet facilities for customers with a disability, this represents 30.64% of the total number of job centres.

Department for Work and Pensions: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Kit Malthouse: From April 2018, all employers in the UK were required to pay a new National Living Wage of £7.83 per hour. The Department for Work and Pensions pays all direct employees at least the statutory National Living Wage, regardless of age. The Living Wage Foundation (LWF) is an initiative by Citizens UK which advocates employers paying an alternative hourly rate known as the Living Wage or London Living Wage. The current Living Wage is £8.75 and London Living Wage is £10.20. The information requested in its entirety is not centrally available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The available information has been provided below: a) There are 114 direct employees of DWP who are below the Living Wage or London Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. b) DWP and its Agencies’ temporary agency staff are employed in line with Agency Workers Regulations which ensures parity with directly employed staff after 12 weeks. c) There are 3,051 outsourced staff working on Estates contracts who are below the Living Wage or London Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. All of these individuals receive at least the National Living Wage as defined by government.

Flexible Support Fund

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the under-spend in the Flexible Support Fund in each of the last five financial years for which data is available; and to where those funds were reallocated.

Alok Sharma: The table below provides the budgets and outturn for Flexible Support Fund in the relevant years*.  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Budget£99.9 m£127.6 m£178.8 m£76.8 m£51.7 mOutturn£115.0 m£110.1 m£91.5 m£58.4 m£51.0 mUnderspend£15.2m£17.5 m£87.3 m£18.4 m£0.7 m *All figures have been rounded to the nearest tenth of a million, with negative values enclosed in brackets. The Flexible Support Fund budget is subject to review and change, based on claimant needs and volumes and as new policies are agreed and old policies are withdrawn. As discretionary expenditure it is also dependent upon overall Departmental affordability. The level of expenditure reflects these changing policies and the level of claimant demand. For example, in 2014/15 the Department received funding as part of the Spending Review 2013 in order to meet travel and childcare costs to facilitate additional support for claimants, but the use of this increased funding was limited. The budget for the Flexible Support Fund is not ring-fenced, so any underspend or overspend contributes to the Department’s overall financial position in each year.

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on enabling new legacy benefit claimants to submit their supporting documents electronically via a secure online portal.

Kit Malthouse: Where it can be done appropriately and securely, the uploading of documents such as fit-notes and CVs is encouraged for certain benefit systems. DWP does not currently enable citizens to upload documents to all of our legacy benefit systems but we are continuously looking at ways to improve and enhance the customer experience.

Flexible Support Fund

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling travel expenses for claimants of the flexible support fund to be paid up front instead of in arrears.

Alok Sharma: Work coaches already have discretion to reimburse travel costs for jobseekers (taking into account their particular circumstances), who are asked to attend their jobcentre outside of their minimum attendance requirements. For travel expenses for job interviews, work coaches have the discretion to pay these in advance where the claimant is unable to fund this prior to interview.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many postal signers for universal credit there were in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: There is no postal signing in Universal Credit. Instead, claimants who live in remote areas are supported using alternative methods, such as digital channels or via the phone. This enables claimants to continue to engage with us, receive appropriate support and satisfy the conditions of their personalised Claimant Commitment when they are unable to attend their jobcentre.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) timeliness and (b) effectiveness of the processing of Hardship Payments for sanctioned claimants.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, the Department has published information on the number of hardship applications and awards for Jobseekers Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance, which can be accessed via the link below. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to stop claimants on low incomes from being charged by GPs for the supply of supporting medical information for claims for benefit.

Sarah Newton: We advise claimants not to seek additional evidence which they may be charged for, such as from GPs. Where an assessment provider determines that additional medical evidence from a GP could prove helpful they will request that evidence from the GP directly. GPs are obliged through their contract with NHS England to provide the assessment provider with medical evidence for Employment and Support Allowance free-of-charge. For Personal Independence Payment GPs are paid a standard fee (currently £33.50) for completing a General Practitioner Factual Report. In the Government’s response to the recent Work and Pensions Select Committee report on Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance Assessments we set out our commitment to continue improving the customer experience for both. For example, in order to simplify the process for claimants, we are currently exploring how data can be usefully shared between the two assessments, and opportunities for better data sharing between DWP and the NHS. We are also working to ensure better communication with claimants, in addition to working closely with both GPs and the Department of Health.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a grace period for (a) vulnerable and (b) homeless claimants of (i) jobseekers allowance and (ii) employment support allowance during which the requirements placed on them are eased at times of transition or acute difficulty.

Kit Malthouse: There are already a range of circumstances where work-related requirements should be switched off temporarily because people claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are experiencing difficult personal circumstances. This includes claimants experiencing a domestic emergency and claimant who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. For people claiming JSA with a physical or mental impairment (including those with cognitive or learning difficulties), work coaches may agree to tailor the number of hours, type or location of work depending on the claimants’ impairment. In addition, work search and availability requirements should be switched off to account for a period of sickness. Outside of these set periods, work coaches have the discretion to tailor requirements depending on what is reasonable based on the claimant’s health condition. People claiming ESA who are required to attend interviews or undertake work preparation activities should have requirements tailored to meet their individual needs, this would include deferring their interviews if appropriate and limiting the voluntary work preparation activity to fit their current capability.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) track and (b) record the destinations of claimants who have been sanctioned.

Kit Malthouse: The Department publishes experimental statistics on benefit destinations of claimants receiving a benefit sanction which currently show information on the mean number of days spent on working age benefits in the 180 days following a sanction. These figures can be found on in our quarterly Benefit Sanction Statistics available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions Departmental statisticians are currently developing these statistics further to look at destinations into employment.

New Enterprise Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost was to the public purse of the New Enterprise Allowance in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016/17 and (c) 2017/18; and what estimate she has made of the projected cost for 2018-19.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions spent the following amounts on New Enterprise Allowance in 2015/16 and 2016/17:  2015-162016-17 £m£mNew Enterprise Allowance22.820.3 Please note that we cannot provide information for the current 2017/18 financial year because the Department’s accounts for 2017/18 are subject to audit and any early release of data in the requested format would undermine proper and future publication. Budgets for 2018-19 have not yet been finalised.

Pension Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for the implementation of planned changes to pay Pension Credit to the youngest member of a couple rather than the youngest.

Guy Opperman: Currently, when one member of a couple has reached Pension Credit qualifying age, that member may claim Pension Credit for the couple. Under the Welfare Reform Act 2012, Pension Credit will be available to couples only where both members have reached the qualifying age. We plan to implement the change to Pension Credit qualification for couples where one member is above and the other below Pension Credit qualifying age at the point that Universal Credit has been rolled out nationally and is available for all new claims. However, existing claims to Pension Credit from such couples will be protected.

State Retirement Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are receiving the state pension in the UK.

Guy Opperman: Statistics on State Pension recipients are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-benefits-statistical-summaries-2018With further detail given in the supporting data tables and also on Stat-Xplore here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ The latest figures for August 2017 show 11.7 million people were receiving the UK State Pension in Great Britain. UK State Pensions in Northern Ireland are administered by the Department for Communities. Benefit statistics for Northern Ireland can be accessed at: https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics

Support for Mortgage Interest

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will delay the implementation of the changes to Support for Mortgage Interest; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: There are no plans to delay implementation of the changes to Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). SMI loans were introduced on 6 April 2018 and loan payments have started to be made. All claimants have been contacted and after this initial contact an information discussion is held following which the offer of an SMI loan is made. Transitional provisions enable claimants to continue to receive SMI as a benefit for up to 10 weeks following the date the loan offer is made to give them time to make a decision and for the loan payments to be put in place. Where an existing claimant lacks mental capacity to make decisions about entering into the loan agreement, the regulations enable SMI benefit to continue until an appropriate person is appointed to act on the claimant’s behalf.

UK Men's Sheds Association

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many referrals her Department made to the UK Men's Sheds Association from (a) jobseekers allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants during the latest period for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not routinely record data on referrals to UK Men’s Shed’s Association for (a) Jobseeker’s Allowance (b) Employment and Support Allowance. Therefore this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on the credit rating of claimants of Support for Mortgage Interest of that benefit being converted into a loan.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 March 2018 to Question 131365 (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-03-06/131365/).

Support for Mortgage Interest

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to contact claimants of Support for Mortgage Interest that do not have a telephone number.

Kit Malthouse: We write to those SMI claimants for whom we do not hold a phone number, requesting they contact us to give a friend or relative’s phone number. We follow this up with a reminder letter if we do not receive a response, and advise that Serco offer a call booking service to allow claimants to schedule a call about the SMI loan.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) failed and (b) unsuccessful contacts with claimants of Support for Mortgage Interest there have been.

Kit Malthouse: Serco have made over 436,000 calls to SMI claimants, with approximately 307,000 successful contacts. Of the 129,000 unsuccessful contacts, 9,000 were where the telephone number was unobtainable. In these cases claimants are sent a letter, and a reminder letter where they do not reply, to the address where they are claiming benefit, asking them to contact Serco on the telephone number provided.

Support for Mortgage Interest: Disability

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of Support for Mortgage Interests are part of the home ownership for people with long-term disabilities scheme.

Kit Malthouse: All existing SMI claimants including the representatives of HOLD claimants have been contacted about SMI loans. Data on the number of HOLD claimants who have taken up the loan offer is not available.

Devonport Dockyard: Pensions

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to complete the bulk pension transfer of employees working in Devonport Dockyard; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The Government has no such plans as it is not the sponsor of the scheme for employees of the Devonport dockyard. The arrangements for transferring employees’ pensions is a matter for the employer and the trustees of the scheme.

Jeorga Thompson

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to and resolve the case of Ms Jeorga Thompson of Prenton, Birkenhead.

Alok Sharma: A response was sent to the Rt. Hon. Member on 19 April confirming that we have worked with the claimant to resolve the case to their satisfaction.

Employment Support Allowance: Disqualification

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2018 to Question 130566, what guidance is provided to Jobcentre staff to ensure that the work requirements they prescribe do not necessitate medical treatment.

Sarah Newton: The Department’s guidance for Decision Makers on this matter is contained in Decision Makers Guidance memo 1/18 for Employment & Support Allowance. This is also covered in Advice for Decision Makers memo 2/18 for Employment & Support Allowance and Universal Credit. As was stated in the answer to question 130566, we would not ask for a claimant to undergo medical treatment as part of their requirements. All claimants placed in the Support Group are not expected to do any work related activity.While those claimants placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) are supported through work related activity, we have several processes in place to ensure this activity does not place undue stress on the claimant. For example: No WRAG claimant is expected to be applying for jobs or workingNo WRAG claimant is expected to undertake WRA outside their youngest child’s normal school hours if the claimant is a lone parent with a child under the age of 13.No WRAG claimant is expected to undertake WRA if they are a lone child etc.

Universal Credit

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many home visits were made by work coaches in respect of universal credit claimants with complex needs prior to making a referral to a decision-maker on whether or not to consider a sanction in 2017-18.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria or guidance is used by work coaches when deciding whether a home visit is necessary in respect of universal credit claimants with complex needs prior to making a referral to a decision-maker on whether or not to consider a sanction.

Alok Sharma: The information on the number of home visits made to Universal Credit claimants, with complex needs prior to a referral to a Decision Maker for consideration of a sanction, is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Between April 2017 and March 2018 290,000 cleared home visit referrals were made across all the Departments service lines. The Department has clear processes and guidance in place to safeguard claimants with complex needs and ensure that their personal circumstances are considered before a sanction referral is made to a decision maker. The guidance available to staff advises that a home visit would be appropriatewhen a claimant has been identified as being vulnerable or having complex needs due to health issues or where they are unable to access our services through the normal channels of communication as an individual or through a friend, family member or Third party stakeholder partner. To safeguard our claimants and provide further support in the event that a sanction is being considered, a home visit would be arranged to help determine whether the claimant has fully understood their commitments, and a sanction referral would not be considered until at least two attempts have been made to complete a home visit and all other attempts to contact the claimant have failed.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will lose their homes as a result of the ending of the Support for Mortgage Interest for claimants in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance.

Kit Malthouse: Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) claimants will have the option to take up the offer of an SMI loan when the SMI benefit scheme ends. The new loan scheme will continue to provide robust protection against repossession to all eligible claimants in times of need, with the level of support available being calculated in the same way as under the SMI benefit system. Claimants and mortgage lenders will not see any difference in the payments they receive and claimants will not be required to repay the loan until their property is sold or transferred subject to the availability of sufficient equity to repay the loan.

Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) correct its guidance concerning personal independence payment daily living activity 9 in respect of visual impairment being considered insufficient in itself to score points in respect of engaging with others and (b) identify cases incorrectly assessed on that basis.

Sarah Newton: When assessing a claimant against activity 9, engaging with others, the claimant’s ability to identify facial expressions and more generally read body language is to be taken into account in deciding whether a person can engage with other persons unaided, needs prompting or social support. Whether a visually impaired person will score against a descriptor will depend on the nature of the visual impairment and how they are able to engage face to face and this therefore needs to be assessed on a case by case basis.

Personal Independence Payment

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department's guidance for assessors and decision-makers in relation to personal independence payment mobility activity 1 which reflecting regulations which the High Court has found to be ultra vires and to discriminate against claimants who cannot plan or follow a journey because they experience overwhelming psychological distress is still in use; and when it is planned for that guidance to be withdrawn and new guidance issued.

Sarah Newton: For information on the indicative timescales of the MH judgment implementation, I refer the Hon. Member to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that the Secretary of State has laid in the House Library (Deposit reference: DEP2018-0345). As outlined in that document, the Department is working at pace to engage with stakeholders to make the necessary guidance changes effectively and safely.

Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the status is of her Department's guidance for personal independence payment daily living activity 6 which states that visual impairment is not sufficient in itself to score points in respect for help with dressing; what steps her Department is taking to identify cases incorrectly assessed on that basis; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Activity 6, dressing and undressing, assesses a claimant’s ability to put on and take off appropriate, un-adapted clothing that is suitable for the situation. This may include the need to use aids, or where the claimant requires prompting, supervision or assistance to dress. All claimants, including visually impaired claimants, should be assessed based on the level of functional ability and whether they can complete the activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.

UK Men's Sheds Association

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding her Department has given to the UK Men's Sheds Association in each of the last five years.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not centrally collate data on funding for the UK Men’s Shed’s Association. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the minimum income floor in the universal credit system can result in self-employed people in receipt of universal credit receiving less than employees in receipt of that benefit when their annual earnings are identical.

Alok Sharma: We are aware that for many self-employed, particularly those with seasonal businesses, their earnings often fluctuate from month to month, and they need to budget and plan for this. Self-employed Universal Credit claimants are no different in this regard. Universal Credit supports people in self-employment, where self-employment is the best route for them to become financially self-sufficient. As part of that, for those claimants expected to seek work, who are gainfully self-employed and not within a year of starting their self-employment, we apply a Minimum Income Floor (MIF). This is an assumed level of monthly earnings, based on what they could expect to earn each month at the National Minimum Wage. The MIF is designed to encourage those reporting very low self-employed income to increase their monthly earnings. This means that, where a self-employed claimant’s monthly earnings are below their MIF level, the MIF level is taken into account in assessing the claimant’s monthly Universal Credit payment. For this reason, they can receive a lower amount of Universal Credit than an employed claimant earning a comparable monthly sum, but not subject to the MIF. Some self-employed claimants will respond to this by increasing their monthly earnings from self-employment, some will choose to work as an employee, and others will combine the two.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on contact with claimants of Support for Mortgage Interest since the publication of conversion of support for mortgage interest from a benefit into a loan: claimant communication and intention to take up a loan on 23 March 2018.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 March 2018 to Question 134890 (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-03-28/134890/).

Social Security Benefits: Parkinson's Disease

Mary Glindon: To Ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that people with Parkinson's disease who undertake therapeutic exercise are not disadvantaged (a) when applying for and (b) if they are in receipt of employment and support allowance or personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to treat people as individuals, considering the impact of their impairment or health condition on their everyday life and how each claimant has personally adapted to living with a disability. The assessment considers all available evidence, including whether an activity can be performed safely to an acceptable standard repeatedly and in a reasonable time period. This principle applies to all claimants, including claimants with Parkinson’s Disease. Entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance is not based on an individual’s diagnosis or the nature of their particular disabling condition, but rather on the way that condition limits their ability to function. The Work Capability Assessment assesses the effects of a person’s condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities. ESA has been designed to take full account of progressive conditions such as Parkinson’s. If an individual has a progressive health condition, the Health Care Professional takes this into consideration when providing advice to the Decision Maker.

Personal Independence Payment: Parkinson's Disease

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that a person with Parkinson's disease and undertaking voluntary work will not be disadvantaged (a) when applying for or (b) if they are already in receipt of personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means tested disability benefit that is available to claimants regardless of the employment status of the claimant. Since the Second Independent Review of PIP was published, we have ensured that PIP claimants are not disadvantaged by their employment status by revisiting our current guidance and have reiterated this message to our assessment providers. We have also used our communication channels to assure claimants that their employment status does not matter when claiming PIP. We will also be re-emphasising this message to claimants through a series of PIP videos which will be released shortly.

Occupational Pensions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for completing the automatic enrolment review that commenced in 2017.

Guy Opperman: The review of automatic enrolment was completed and published in December 2017. The review set out the Government’s ambition to build on the success of the workplace pension reforms to date, with a comprehensive and balanced package of proposals to further strengthen pension saving. The proposals, which are aimed at continuing to build a stronger, more inclusive savings culture for future generations, include lowering the minimum age entry point for automatic enrolment from 22 to age 18 and removing the lower earnings limit so that contributions are calculated from the first pound of earnings. Our ambition is to work towards implementing these changes in the mid-2020s. The Review also set out our commitment to test targeted interventions starting this year to identify the most effective options to increase pension saving among self-employed people. The review report was laid before Parliament; it is available, with the associated analytical report, at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automatic-enrolment-review-2017-maintaining-the-momentum Automatic enrolment has been a great success story with more than 9.5 million workers enrolled into pensions saving. Over 1.1 million employers have met their duties. By summer 2018, 10 million people are estimated to be newly saving or saving more as a result of automatic enrolment.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many support for mortgage interest claimants receive (a) pension credit and equivalents, (b) income-based employment and support allowance and its equivalents in universal credit, (c) income support for lone parents and (d) income-based job seeker's allowance and income support for the unemployed.

Kit Malthouse: Information on caseloads for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) caseloads estimates is in table 3c here:Benefit expenditure and caseload tables.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of support for mortgage interest claimants have (a) decided to take out and (b) declined the loan offered by her Department.

Kit Malthouse: Of those claimants who have been successfully contacted by telephone:18,000 indicated that they will take up the loan (around 18% of the caseload);12,000 are undecided (11% of the caseload)42,000 indicated that they wish to decline the loan (around 41% of the caseload). Since the publication of the figures in March 2018 showing a caseload of 90,000 a technical problem has been corrected on the Management Information system used to produce the figures. The technical problem caused the records of some claimants to be moved to a different computer system ahead of the introduction of the SMI loan scheme on 6th April 2018 and meant they were missing from the earlier figures published in March. The technical problem occurred only in the reporting systems and did not affect the payment of the benefit. New management information on the conversion of SMI to a loan will be published on 24th April 2018.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the impact assessment entitled Converting Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) from a benefit into a loan, published by her Department in June 2017, and the statistics entitled Conversion of Support for Mortgage Interest from a benefit into a loan, published by her Department on 23 March 2018, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the reduction in the number of support for mortgage interest claimants from 124,000 to 90,000.

Kit Malthouse: The latest data shows the current Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) caseload is 103,000. Since the publication of the figures in March 2018 showing a caseload of 90,000 a technical problem has been corrected on the Management Information system used to produce the figures. The technical problem caused the records of some claimants to be moved to a different computer system ahead of the introduction of the SMI loan scheme on 6th April 2018 and meant they were missing from the earlier figures published in March. The number of claimants in receipt of SMI is reducing over time because fewer claimants are receiving SMI on Pension Credit. New management information on the conversion of SMI to a loan will be published on 24th April 2018.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Motor Vehicles

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicles (a) his Department and (b) Defra Group (i) own and (ii) lease.

George Eustice: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 27 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The following table shows the vehicle leasing and ownership across the Defra Group of the Environment agency (EA), Natural England (NE), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Rural Payments agency (RPA). TypeEANEAPHADefraMMORPACars: Leased330432017631203Cars: Owned000400Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Owned129311851000Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Leased016000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Owned4313000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Leased001000Total Number of Vehicles46401238118031203TypeEANEAPHADefraMMORPACars: Leased330432013631203Cars: Owned4004000Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Owned129311851000Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Leased016000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Owned4313000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Leased001000Total Number of Vehicles46441238117631203

George Eustice: The following table shows the vehicle leasing and ownership across the Defra Group of the Environment agency (EA), Natural England (NE), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Rural Payments agency (RPA). TypeEANEAPHADefraMMORPACars: Leased330432017631203Cars: Owned000400Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Owned129311851000Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Leased016000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Owned4313000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Leased001000Total Number of Vehicles46401238118031203TypeEANEAPHADefraMMORPACars: Leased330432013631203Cars: Owned4004000Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Owned129311851000Commercial Vehicles under 3.5t - Leased016000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Owned4313000Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t - Leased001000Total Number of Vehicles46441238117631203

UK Export Certification Partnership

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) financial and (b) staffing resources of (i) the UK Export Certification Partnership and (ii) that Partnership's beef certification team.

George Eustice: UKECP was founded in 2009 and is made up of Defra and Export Certification Ltd (ECL). The partnership reviews resources on a regular basis under their terms of agreement, to ensure that the financial and staffing arrangements in place are adequate to deliver our joint aspirations in beef market access. Last year Defra contributed £65,000 and ECL contributed £144,700 giving a total budget of £209,700. ECL consists of five directors one of whom is a vet. It can also draw upon the expertise of three additional vets and contractors. Industry has recently agreed to increase its financial contributions to the partnership by up to 20% and additional veterinary support has been taken on. In addition, six Defra policy and veterinary officials support the work of the partnership, with over 400 export health certificates for livestock products available to exporters. Export certifications are issued by a 40 strong team at APHA in Carlisle.

Packaging: Recycling

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to introduce changes to the Packaging Recovery Note system to strengthen producer responsibility before the publication of its Resources and Waste Strategy.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have committed in our 25 Year Environment Plan and Clean Growth Strategy to reforming our producer responsibility systems (including the packaging waste regulations) so that producers will take greater responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products. We plan to consult on these reforms alongside publication of the Resources and Waste Strategy later this year.

Motor Vehicles: Batteries

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Government plans to ensure that the environmental effects of vehicle battery manufacture, use and disposal are minimised; and if he will he make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are already a number of requirements applying to automotive battery manufacture, use and disposal. These include obligations under: The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009The End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003The End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005 There are controls on the materials used in battery manufacture and measures designed to maximise the recycling of automotive batteries, which are banned from disposal to landfill. Producers of automotive batteries must collect waste automotive batteries free of charge from final holders, on request, and batteries must be treated at appropriately permitted facilities.

Motor Vehicles: Recycling

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to encourage manufacturers to recycle material recovered from fossil fuel powered vehicles to help develop (a) new and (b) existing industries; and if will he make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005 set a material reuse and recycling rate of 85% for cars and vans (to 3.5 tonnes), no matter how they are fuelled, and an overall recovery rate of 95%. Obligations to meet these targets are placed on vehicle manufacturers and the treatment chain. Latest available figures are for 2015, when rates of 87.3% and 96.9% were achieved respectively.

Biodiversity

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the 2018 Plenary meeting of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The sixth Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) met in Medellin, Colombia between 17 and 24 March. Five new assessments were adopted – four Regional Assessments on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (for Africa; the Americas; Asia-Pacific; and Europe and Central Asia) and a thematic assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration. UK scientists have been at the forefront of delivering these assessments. Thirteen leading UK scientists worked on the assessment for Europe and Central Asia. The assessments will feed into a global synopsis called Global Biodiversity Outlook to be finalised in 2019 and this will inform future targets and action under the Convention on Biological Diversity. We are determined to play a lead role in the development of an ambitious international biodiversity strategy under the Convention.

EU Countries: Biodiversity

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements he plans to make for continued co-operation with EU member states on international biodiversity issues after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Our ambition to leave the environment in a better state than we found it requires joint action on a global scale. As set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan we will continue to lead international work on the environment and will remain active partners in international fora. We remain fully committed to our environmental ambitions and will continue to work closely with our international and EU partners to deliver them.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many councils charge for collecting garden waste for recycling.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The government does not hold this information centrally, but the latest data the Government has from the Waste and Resources Action Programme shows that 171 councils in England charged for collecting garden waste for recycling.

Pet Travel Scheme: Fraud

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fake pet passports were (a) identified and (b) removed from circulation in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: We are aware that there are cases of unscrupulous individuals that abuse the Pet Travel Scheme (PTS) by using pet passports containing false information to bring dogs into the United Kingdom. We take the issue of PTS abuse seriously. The UK carries out more checks of pets at the border than most other EU Member States and penalties are in place for people found to be breaking the rules. Under the Non Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order (the Pets Order) a person found guilty of providing false or misleading information, including information contained in a pet passport is liable to up to three months imprisonment or an unlimited fine. Local Authorities are responsible for taking action against individuals, for offences under the Pets Order.Neither Defra nor the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) hold data on the number of pet passports confirmed to be fake and removed from circulation. When APHA identifies instances of pet passports containing false information; for instance the vet authorisation being incorrect in a real document, it may raise the issue with the authorities in the country where the passport was issued. Where serious cases of PTS abuse are identified the UK Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) will write the CVO of the country concerned highlighting the non-compliances identified and requesting the outcome of any investigations.

Pet Travel Scheme: Fraud

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what security features have been built into pet passports to prevent fake passports from being used to bring animals into the UK.

George Eustice: The pet passport must be in accordance with the format, layout and language requirements set out in Part 1 of Annex III to Commission Implementing Regulation ((EU) No 577/2013). The passport must then be completed and issued by an authorised veterinarian, documenting the alpha-numeric code displayed by the transponder or the tattoo, the details of the vaccination against rabies, and where applicable, the details of the treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis. After the required information has been entered in Section III of the passport, a transparent adhesive laminate seals the page. Finally, where the information on one of the pages of the passport takes the form of a sticker, a transparent adhesive laminate seals that sticker in the case where the latter is not self-destructed when it is removed.   



EU/577/2013
(PDF Document, 2.53 MB)

Pet Travel Scheme

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the security features contained within pet passports.

George Eustice: Since harmonisation with the EU pet travel rules on 1 January 2012, decisions regarding the effectiveness of pet passports or otherwise have been carried out at EU level, in conjunction with other EU member states, and in accordance with EU law. The Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 contains provisions for the enforcement of these Regulations through a system of official controls, the responsibility for which is delegated to transport companies or their agencies and enforcement authorities. Defra has not carried out any individual assessment on the effectiveness of the security features contained within pet passports, instead focusing on a fair and rigorous enforcement system for pets entering the UK which facilitates safe travel.

Pet Travel Scheme: Fraud

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what training is provided to carrier staff, Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) staff and Animal and Plant Health Agency staff to ensure that they are able to identify fake pet passports used for animals travelling under the PETS.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is responsible for providing the Carrier Manager and Checkers with training of the requirements for the approved carriage of PETS eligible animals. APHA have produced a guide for authorised Pet Carriers and Checkers, which includes a section on suspected fraud and examples of fraudulent documents. All APHA staff carrying out this work are trained and receive mentoring from experienced colleagues. When carrying out a check of a cat, dog or ferret (commercial or under the Pet Travel Scheme), APHA staff have access to the Operations Manual instructions and checklists which provide clear guidance which can be followed during the check. Carriers and Pet Checkers are advised to refer all cases of suspected fraud to APHA using the Report of Non-Compliant Pet Passport or Third Country Certificate form (IV62) along with copies of the relevant documents. Reporting these cases enable APHA to take action against the issuing vet where appropriate. APHA field team carry out quality assurance checks on carriers and checkers to monitor the on-going standard of performance of the carrier and approved Checker. The level of checking carried out is in line with the frequency and proportion of animals transported. APHA’s Intelligence Team and Imports Team receive intelligence about fraudulent pet passports and this is communicated to field staff, Pet Carriers and Checkers.

Floods: Insurance

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment has been made of the equity of the cost to consumers of Flood Re insurance cover.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The premiums charged by Flood Re to insurers are capped based on council tax bands. This is in order to target support to low income households and address the issue of affordability of flood insurance. Prices start at £213 per policy, per annum in council tax bands A and B for a combined (buildings and contents) policy, rising to £1,218 for a band H home. During Flood Re’s first 18 months of operation, there has been a fairly even split between council tax bands A to E for the 140,000 policies backed during this time. The exact distribution is set out below.  Council tax band% Split between council tax bandsA 16%B19%C22%D18%E12%F7%G5%H1%

Fisheries

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that a UK fishing policy will be in place after April 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement.

George Eustice: The government is committed to introducing a Fisheries Bill during this session of parliament. We will shortly publish a White Paper on future fisheries policy and expect to introduce a Bill later this year.

Wolves: Conservation

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reintroducing wolves into the UK; whether his Department has any plans to support the reintroduction of such animals; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The reintroduction of species is a devolved issue. The government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing wolves in England and is not aware of any proposals to re-introduce them. Natural England considers any application for reintroductions in accordance with international guidelines including taking account of socio-economic and environmental impacts as well as the impacts on the animals themselves.

Landfill

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether England is projected to meet its share of the UK's targets for reducing waste sent to landfill sites.

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Government ceased to make available waste infrastructure credits in relation to incineration; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: UK biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill in 2016 was similar to that in 2015, remaining at approximately 7.7 million tonnes or 22% of the 1995 baseline value. The UK is therefore still on track to meet the EU target to restrict BMW landfilled to 35% of the 1995 baseline by 2020. Waste infrastructure credits (formerly waste PFI credits) were used to fund infrastructure to manage waste higher up the waste hierarchy, and thereby contribute to England meeting its share of EU landfill directive targets for the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. The Government did not make use of the PFI funding regime after 2010 when it was assessed that there was a high level of confidence that England’s contribution to meeting the landfill diversion targets would be met via the existing infrastructure along with that in the construction pipeline.

Waste Management

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its Waste and Resources Review; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government plans to publish a world leading Resources and Waste Strategy by the end of the year.

Incinerators

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2017 to Question 117198, on Incinerators, for what reason the UK's on-stream incineration capacity is underused compared with the permitted capacity; and for what reason there is a similar difference in the East of England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency’s latest Waste Management in England Statistics show that 11.64 million tonnes of waste were incinerated in England in 2016, compared to a permitted capacity of 15.48 million tonnes. For operational incinerators in the East of England only, those figures were 1.19 million tonnes incinerated compared to 1.42 million tonnes of capacity. There are several reasons for the difference between throughput and permitted capacity. The permitted capacity relates to the waste managed at the site and not the actual throughput of the facility as the site might have more than one processing facility. Throughput will also vary depending on the wastes heat value, its composition, the maintenance regime of the facility and the delivery of waste from clients. To allow for these variances permitted capacity is normally higher than the actual processing capacity. It would not be financially viable for plants to run under capacity.

Recycling

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to promote the recycling of waste instead of using (a) landfill and (b) incineration.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our commitment to make it easier for people to recycle and to increase the quantity and quality of materials collected. Through the Framework for Greater Consistency, the Waste and Resources Action Programme is working with industry and local authorities to promote improved recycling performance and to ensure that a consistent set of core materials are collected by all local authorities. We want to accelerate this process and want householders to benefit from having comprehensive waste and recycling collections which ensure that products are recycled as much as possible and high quality materials are returned to the economy. We will set out measures to support this in our Resources and Waste Strategy to be published later this year.

Environment Protection

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on the environment of the UK leaving the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: As the Prime Minister has said, “Brexit will not mean a lowering of environmental standards”. We constantly assess our policies against this objective. The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will ensure that the whole body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law.

Ivory: Sales

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that closing markets for elephant ivory in the UK and internationally does not lead to increased demand for ivory from other species.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: On 3 April the Government confirmed that we will implement a total ban on the sale of elephant ivory in the UK with narrow and limited exemptions. We intend to ban elephant ivory as it is the most commonly-found and traded form of ivory. We are aware of some concern that a ban on the sales of elephant ivory could lead to displacement of poaching to other ivory-bearing specifies. We would want to consider the evidential basis for this as well as the CITES listing for other ivory species prior to further legislative action.

Home Office

Vetting: Construction

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential (a) amount in compensation payments by the Metropolitan Police to the victims of Special Branch officers who communicated with organisations and individuals that blacklisted construction workers, (b) number of recipients of such compensation and (c) amount of each individual payment; and what information her Department holds on the Metropolitan Police accounts from which similar compensation payments have been made.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect this information. Financial and budgetary management, including any compensation payments made, are a matter for individual police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners. In the case of the Metropolitan Police Service, this is the responsibility of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

Offensive Weapons: Young People

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people aged under 18 years of age who were convicted of drug offences outside their local area were also found to be carrying weapons.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. Data on prosecutions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Slavery

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has conducted an assessment of the (a) performance and (b) effectiveness of the national modern slavery helpline.

Victoria Atkins: The Modern Slavery Helpline is run by the charity, Unseen and is completely independent of Government. Information about the number and types of calls received by the Modern Slavery Helpline can be found on the Unseen website www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/information/stats or by contacting Unseen directly on https://www.unseenuk.org/contact-us

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities applied for the modern slavery pilot scheme; and how were successful applicants selected.

Victoria Atkins: As part of NRM reform, Home Office Ministers committed to testing ‘transition pathways’ with local authorities to identifying best practice in supporting victims to move out of central government-funded support and into local communities. Nine local authorities applied to be part of this testing process and applications were assessed based on whether their proposals aligned with the aims of the project. For example, whether the proposals related to support for victims at the end of the NRM process, and whether they would provide opportunity to test the role of local authorities and their partners in supporting victims to transition out of NRM care.

Female Genital Mutilation: Lewisham

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of children under the age of 18 who are living in the London Borough of Lewisham and have undergone female genital mutilation (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each of the last five years.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of children under the age of 18 who are living in the London Borough of Lewisham who have been subjected to a forced marriage in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham on 11th April 2018, UIN 111921; So called 'honour-based' violence, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, is a terrible form of abuse, and this Government is clear that we will not allow political or cultural sensitivities to get in the way of tackling it. Work to tackle these crimes is an integral part of our cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, published last year. The NHS FGM Enhanced Dataset provides information on the number of women and girls with FGM who are being cared for by the NHS in England and has been published quarterly and annually by NHS Digital since 2014. A detailed breakdown of these statistics by local authority, age at which FGM was carried out and country where FGM was undertaken is available online at http://content.digital.nhs.uk/fgm. The joint Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Home Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) operates a public helpline to provide advice and support to victims of forced marriage as well as to professionals dealing with cases. Statistics on the number of cases dealt with by the FMU are published annually, including a breakdown by region and age and are available online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage#statistics-on-forced-marriage-collected-by-fmu. The statistics are available for the region of London. However, they cannot be broken down into specific London boroughs for data protection reasons. For example, the number of cases from a specific borough may be low enough to allow a victim to be identified, and the FMU must safeguard those it supports.

Organised Crime: Drugs

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department has collected to identify growth in county lines activity across the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The NCA produces a threat assessment that provides information about the extent of county lines across England and Wales. Following a request from the Home Office, the NCA undertook the first national county lines assessment in 2014 which was published by the NCA in August 2015. They then provided a second threat assessment on county lines in November 2016 and its most recent threat assessment was published on 28 November 2017. This sets out how the issue of county lines has continued to develop and is now being seen as a problem in more areas of England and Wales. We are supporting the work of the NPCC and NCA to establish a new National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) by providing specific funding of £3.6 million over the next two years (2018/19 and 2019/20).The NCLCC will help bring the law enforcement effort together as the links behind county lines are complicated and the threat crosses police force boundaries. The NCLCC will support operational policing, for example, through supporting police forces in their use of the Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Orders (DDTROs) to close down mobile phone numbers used for county lines drug dealing, as well as providing a central point at which intelligence and information is shared and the links with criminal exploitation and illegal drugs markets are identified.

Knife Crime Community Fund

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has allocated to the Knife Crime Community Fund for 2018.

Victoria Atkins: There will be up to £1 million in total for the anti-knife crime Community Fund in 2018/19 and it will be launched later this spring. This was one of the commitments in the Serious Violence Strategy, launched on 9 April, which also said there would be a further round of the Community Fund in 2019/20.This is in addition to the £765,000 awarded in December 2017 to community bids across the country.

Home Office: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of job roles advertised within her Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the ban the box initiative.

Victoria Atkins: Business in the Community's Ban the Box campaign was formally launched across the Civil Service on 17 October 2016 and the Permanent Secretary for the Home Office has not agreed any exceptions to date.The information on which roles may have requested this information in 2016 prior to this date is not held at Departmental level and a manual search of all records would incur a disproportionate cost.

Home Office: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office already operates the ban the box policy in line with Cabinet Office guidance and does not ask for information about convictions at the start of the application process.

Slavery: Children

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals to the National Referral Mechanism for children aged under 18, had ticked criminal services (i.e. involved the commission of an offence by the victim) under section D of the referral form, in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals to the National Referral Mechanism for children aged under 18, had ticked yes for involvement in criminality highlighting involvement of adults under section E of the referral form in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals for children aged under 18 to the National Referral Mechanism had ticked the box suspicions for involvement in criminality highlighting involvement of adults under section E of the referral form in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2015-16.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals for children aged under 18 to the National Referral Mechanism had ticked yes for going missing and being found in areas where they have no known links under section E of the referral form in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2015-16.

Victoria Atkins: The National Crime Agency (NCA), publishes statistics on referrals into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). These statistics are published on a quarterly basis and the NCA have recently published the complete statistics for 2017. These statistics include the breakdown of referrals for children by nationality and primary exploitation type. Criminal Exploitation is recorded as a sub category of Labour Exploitation within the statistics and includes children found in cannabis farms, nail bars and those involved in ‘County Lines’ gang exploitation. The 2017 Report is available via the following link:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics/2017-nrm-statistics/884-nrm-annual-report-2017 Information detailed within section E of the NRM referral form is used to guide and inform the case worker as to the reasons for the referral, not to facilitate the case management of the referral. No detail is recorded within the NRM case management system of this data.

Hate Crime: Social Media

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review hate crime legislation to tackle social media hate speech directed towards ethnic minority groups.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is clear that what is illegal offline is illegal online. The Prime Minister announced on 6 February that Government has commissioned the Law Commission to launch a review of current legislation on offensive online communications to ensure that laws are up to date with technology.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings Ministers or officials of his Department have had with pharmaceutical companies at which medical cannabis was discussed in the last 12 months.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service: Finance

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Avon Fire Authority on the funding for Avon Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office Ministers regularly engage with fire and rescue authorities on a number of issues. In 2018/19 Avon Fire Authority will have a core spending power of £42.4m, an increase of 1.6% (£0.6m) compared with 2017/18.At March 2017, Avon Fire Authority held £9m in reserves, an increase of £2.3m (34%) compared with March 2011.

Immigration

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were granted entry to reside in the UK on the basis of ties to a family member in the UK in each of the last seven years; how many of those people were under the age of 25; and how many applications were made on that basis in that same period.

Caroline Nokes: Statistical information on people coming to the UK for family reasons is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, in the section “Why do people come to the UK? (4) For family reasons” athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-4-for-family-reasonsThe available information relates to entry clearance visa applications and grants by category and applicant type, published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas data tables Volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017/list-of-tables#visas.Neither an age breakdown nor the underlying reasons for an application are available in the published entry clearance visa data.

Crime: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the relationship between changes in the (a) number of officers in the West Midlands Police Force Area and (b) level of recorded crime in the area covered by that police force.

Mr Nick Hurd: In January I announced the police funding settlement for 2018/19 which will see an additional £460m invested in the policing system, around £280m direct to PCCs. Prior to this I spoke to police leaders in every police force in England and Wales about the demands they face, including representatives from the West Midlands and this settlement reflects the evidence they provided.I understand that the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has chosen to use his increased precept flexibility, which will provide around £9.5m additional funding for West Midlands Police in 2018/19. The PCC has said that he will use this additional funding to improve services delivered to the public.Decisions about the allocation of police resources and deployment of officers are for Chief Constables and democratically accountable PCCs. They are responsible for ensuring the needs of the local community are met.

Home Office: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many IT systems which her Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps she is taking to ensure that all her Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Victoria Atkins: The nature of technology systems and services is that they are continually being evolved and updated, reflecting technology advances and to address risk of obsolescence. This means services are made up of elements introduced over differing time periods. The Home Office uses a range of techniques, health checks and controls to continually review, maintain, patch and refresh components of its technology services in order to promote resilience and security. Where appropriate services are decommissioned and replaced. The Home Office has a ‘digital by default’ technology strategy and is taking advantage of increasing use of new digital and cloud based technologies in the development of its new services.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister of State for Immigration plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Warley of 13 March 2018 regarding Miss Shouqat Harrum.

Caroline Nokes: I apologise for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. I will respond separately.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department provided from the Places of worship: security funding scheme to (a) churches, (b) gurdwaras and (c) mosques in the 2017-18 allocation; and whether such funds will be renewed on an annual basis.

Victoria Atkins: Thirty–six places of worship were awarded funding in the second year of the Places of Worship funding scheme (2017-18), totalling £416,527.04. The breakdown by faith was as follows:Type of place of worshipNumber awarded fundingTotal approved fundingChurches10£81,426.14Gurdwaras4£131,726.64Mosques19£179,988.66Hindu Temples3£23,385.60The Places of Worship Security Fund is a commitment under the Hate Crime Action Plan 2016. The Home Office has committed £2.4m to places of worship over 3 years.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Questions 134800, 134801, 134802, 134803 and 134804, on Visas: Skilled Workers, if she will publish the data requested.

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds the data requested in Questions 134800, 134801, 134802, 134803 and 134805.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office visa case-working system does not capture the profession of the applicant or which UK Region within the NHS they wish to work in. This information is captured on the Tier 2 application form, however, to provide that information would require a manual check of our records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Engineers and Scientists: Visas

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 134308 on Engineers and Scientists: Visas, if she will place that data in the Library.

Caroline Nokes: Data is no longer provided in the format requested. Published data on sponsorship applications can be found in the immigration statistics release.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-sponsorship-restricted-certificate-allocations/allocations-of-restricted-certificates-of-sponsorship

Hate Crime: Social Media

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 133769, what specific steps her Department is taking to encourage social media companies to tackle online hate crime.

Victoria Atkins: The 2016 Hate Crime Action Plan set out a number of Home Office and cross-Government actions to tackle online hate crime, including engagement with industry. We will be refreshing the action plan this year.The Government has already gone further than these actions: in October 2017 the Home Secretary announced funding for a national online hate crime hub that will help the police to manage online cases more effectively and efficiently; we have successfully worked with industry and partners internationally to agree the removal of illegal hate speech within 24 hours through the EU Commission Code of Conduct on Illegal Hate Speech; and we will publish the Government response to the Internet Safety Strategy consultation in the spring which will set out details on a comprehensive new social media code of practice.

Police Patrolling: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers conducted street patrols in (a) Lewisham and (b) London in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the primary roles that police officers perform, as well as the number of frontline officers, for police force areas in England and Wales. These data are published annually as part of the 'police workforce, England and Wales' statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017 Data on the primary roles officers perform, and the number of officers on the frontline, are collected at police force area level only, and cannot be broken down any further. Furthermore, the number of officers specifically on foot patrol cannot be separately identified in the data. The latest available data on frontline officers, broken down by police force area and going back to 2010, can be found in Table_F5 of the data tables accompanying the main release. Data for the years 2010 to 2014 are estimated since data prior to 31 March 2015 were collected under a different framework, with different definitions. Decisions on the size and deployment of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities.

Passports: Contracts

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 904765, Official Report, column 21, if she will publish (a) the evidential basis for the contract for the printing of passports being estimated as saving £120 million and (b) details of that proposed contract; over what time period those savings are estimated to accrue; and what proportion of the cost of the contract those estimated savings represent.

Caroline Nokes: The new contract will run for 11.5 years. Costs will be considerably lower than the current contract, with the savings delivered over the lifetime of the contract. This underlines our commitment to deliver value for money to our passport customers and the tax payer. As part of the procurement process, all bidders were evaluated against their individual pricing proposal. Proposals relating to unsuccessful bids are commercially sensitive, and therefore no evidence relating to differences between the bids will be published.

Visas

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current backlog of visa applications is; and how long on average a visa application takes to be processed from application to decision.

Caroline Nokes: The published information on processing times for visa applications is published as part of the Migration Transparency data, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration

Passports: Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134403 and the Answer 26 March 2018 to Question 133389 on Passports: British Embassy Dublin, since the repatriation of passport processing into the UK in 2014, how many and what proportion of the passport applications that have been approved were for (a) new and (b) the renewal of existing passports.

Caroline Nokes: We are unable to provide data on how many and what proportion of new and renewal passport applications received from the Republic of Ireland have been approved since the repatriation of passport processing into the UK in 2014. This data could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Turkey

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for her Department, with reference to the Turkish ECAA business guidance published by the Home Office on 5 March 2014, when she plans to provide an alternate pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain to Turkish citizens resident under the Turkish Businessperson visa.

Caroline Nokes: A new settlement route for Turkish business persons will be introduced later this year. While the requirements of such a category are to be determined, this will be a charged route in line with others who are seeking to settle in the UK.

Visas

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of documents belonging to visa applicants that it has lost in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The specific data requested is not published by the Home Office.

Immigration

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Indefinite Leave to Remain applications took longer than 24 weeks to process in 2017.

Caroline Nokes: Published service standards for all Indefinite Leave to Remain applications are to complete 100% of straightforward applications within six months.Where an application is defined as non-straightforward, due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard, and to explain what will happen next.The published statistics on leave to remain applications that have been processed within service standard can be found in the migration transparency data release. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-february-2018 at:InC_02: Percentage of In-Country visa applications, for each Route, processed within Service Standards.

Asylum: English Language

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding the Government provides for English language classes for asylum seekers whose claims have not been approved.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office recognises the importance of English language for refugee integration. Refugees are able to access English language classes through the Department for Education’s Adult Education Budget. An additional £10m was provided to supply more English language classes for refugees resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Not all those who make their own way to the UK to seek asylum will be found to be refugees and nearly all will have travelled through other safe countries to get to the UK. This is why support towards integration is offered only when asylum seekers are granted refugee status. The Home Office does not fund English classes for asylum seekers. Asylum seekers aged 19 or over become eligible for a 50% contribution to the costs of English language classes through the Adult Education Budget, when they have been legally in the UK for longer than six months and are awaiting a decision on their asylum claim or have failed in their claim but have been granted support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service: Finance

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the West Yorkshire Fire Authority on funding for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office Ministers regularly engage with fire and rescue authorities on a number of issues. In 2018/19 West Yorkshire Fire Authority will have a core spending power of £79.1m, an increase of 0.8% (£0.6m) compared with 2017/18.At March 2017, West Yorkshire Fire Authority held £33m in reserves, an increase of £24.4m (283%) compared with March 2011.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking in the preparation of its Voluntary National Review of progress against the Sustainable Development Goals to secure the active involvement of local authorities and civil society organisations.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is committed to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) both at home and internationally. Achieving the SDGs will require effort by governments, civil society, local authorities, the private sector and many others.We are pleased to be able to present a Voluntary National Review at the UN in 2019 to showcase the UK’s work to deliver the SDGs and learn lessons from others. The Government will ensure that a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society organisations and local authorities, have an opportunity to contribute to the review.

South Sudan and Sudan: Human Trafficking

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the extent of people smuggling and trafficking in (a) Sudan and (b) South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Estimates of forced labour and people trafficking in Sudan and South Sudan continue to be high. Sudan and South Sudan are ranked joint 6th out of 167 countries for the highest proportion of the population experiencing forced labour and trafficking.The UK Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of people trafficking and the worst forms of child labour by 2030, as unanimously adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015. The Prime Minister has pushed the UN and the international community to step up efforts, most recently by convening leaders to launch a Call to Action to end such exploitation, which has now been endorsed by over 50 states. The Prime Minister has also committed to doubling UK aid spend to £150 million to tackle the drivers of trafficking.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support children and families in Syria directly affected by the chemical attack in Dhouma.

Alistair Burt: Humanitarian access to Eastern Ghouta is severely constrained by the Assad regime. The ability to treat those injured from the attack in Douma has been hampered by years of restricted humanitarian access, routine removal by the regime of medical supplies and equipment from the rare aid convoys that have got in, and attacks on medical facilities. The regime has not allowed any UN humanitarian access to Douma since the reported chemical attack on 7 April. We continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to press the Assad regime and its backers to allow access so aid can reach those in desperate need such as children and families, while maintaining the pressure for a political settlement to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end.

Scotland Office

Land: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on land prices in rural areas throughout Scotland.

David Mundell: The UK Government has been clear that we are undertaking a comprehensive and evolving programme of analytical work, examining all areas of the UK economy.

Scotland Office: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government.No people working for the Scotland Office or its sponsored body, the Boundary Commission for Scotland, who are (a) directly employed in the civil service or (b) employed on an agency basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.The Scotland Office does not set the wages paid by its contractors to (c) outsourced staff working for the office, but can confirm that the rates payable are not less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Scotland Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with key infrastructure providers on the steps they are taking to protect themselves from cyber-attack.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has worked with UK Government departments and the Scottish Government to ensure that key infrastructure providers in Scotland have access to authoritative guidance on the appropriate steps to take to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Ensuring the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure is secure and resilient against cyber-attack is a priority for the Government as set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy. This is supported by a significant programme of work to provide advice, guidance and support to infrastructure providers and develop effective regulatory frameworks.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135483, on sovereignty: Scotland, for what reasons that filter was chosen for that campaign.

David Mundell: The audience category for the Scotland’s trade campaign was used to boost the message to those who may not have been aware of the information and were less likely to be engaged in online discussions on the issue. The category ‘interested in independence’ includes those with views on both sides of the argument.

Cabinet Office

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what improvement plan agreements the Government has made with Interserve since that company's profit warning in September 2017.

Oliver Dowden: The contracting authority is responsible for managing the contract and reviewing the supplier performance against what is required in the contract. Improvement plans may be required by Cabinet Office where a supplier is not meeting the required performance levels across a number of different contracts.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of introducing a centralised national electoral register.

Chloe Smith: The Government has not assessed the feasibility of introducing a centralised national electoral register and has no plans to do so.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the quarterly supplier reviews were collected for Interserve; and when the next quarterly supplier review for that company will be due.

Oliver Dowden: Government requests that Strategic Suppliers submit Quarterly Returns. The information provided within the returns is commercially sensitive.

Government Departments: Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings have taken place between Interserve and (a) Government Ministers and (b) department officials in the last six months.

Oliver Dowden: There have been no meetings scheduled between Interserve and Cabinet Office Ministers within the last six months. Cabinet Office officials met with the company 11 times within the last six months. Meetings are regularly scheduled between the Cabinet Office and Strategic Suppliers to Government.

British Nationals Abroad: Voting Rights

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 134171, if he will publish every individual response to his Department's consultation, A democracy that works for everyone: British citizens overseas, in addition to the published summary of the responses received on 8 February 2018 in A democracy that works for everyone: British citizens overseas - Response to feedback to policy proposals.

Chloe Smith: The summary of responses published in ‘A democracy that works for everyone: British citizens overseas - Response to feedback to policy proposals’ is representative of the feedback received. In line with established practice individual response will not be published.

Government Departments: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 45 of the Government response to the First Report of the Justice Committee, Session 2017-19, HC 416, which Departments have reported on exemptions to the Ban the Box scheme in the last 12 months.

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Oliver Dowden: The Civil Service chose to adopt the Ban the Box initiative in February 2016. The Cabinet Office issued guidance for departmental recruitment and HR teams to support departments to ensure their recruitment practices were in line with the Ban the Box initiative. For many organisations, the guidance formalised the good practice which already operated across the Civil Service. Departments have processes in place to approve exceptions. The Cabinet Office have not asked Departments to report on exceptions to the Ban the Box Scheme in the last 12 months.

Cabinet Office: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Ben Lake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Oliver Dowden: No job roles advertised by the Cabinet Office during 2016 and 2017 were excluded from the ‘Ban the Box’ initiative.The Cabinet Office embraces and encourages diversity across its workforce; therefore none of our job application forms either digitally or physically requires disclosure of criminal convictions, and therefore meets the requirements of ‘Ban the Box’.

Senior Civil Servants: Dismissal

Helen Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on the pension rights of senior civil servants who have been convicted of a criminal offence connected to their work and subsequently dismissed from the civil service.

Oliver Dowden: In common with other public service pension schemes, the Civil Service pension scheme includes provisions for some or all of an individual’s occupational pension benefits to be forfeited if they are convicted of certain serious crimes relating to their Civil Service employment. Crimes considered serious enough to potentially result in forfeiture of pension are: Treason;Offences under the Official Secrets Acts for which the individual has received a sentence, or sentences, amounting to 10 yearsAn offence certified by a Minister of the Crown as being:gravely injurious to the interests of the State; orliable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service. In considering whether and, if so, to what extent an individual’s Civil Service pension should be forfeited, consideration is given to the following: the seniority of the individualthe amount of negative publicity the person’s crime has generated for the Government;the extent to which the general public have been negatively impacted by the crime; andand to what extent the individual has involved junior colleagues in their crime When a civil servant has been convicted of a crime serious enough to warrant consideration of forfeiture, it is the responsibility of that individual’s employing department to raise this with the Cabinet Office. It would normally be a Minister of the employing department who would provide the certification for the seriousness of the offence if necessary.

Employment: Hearing Impairment

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people (a) with hearing loss and (b) who list their primary medical condition as difficulty in hearing who were (i) in employment, (ii) economically inactive and (iii) unemployed in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people (a) with hearing loss and (b) who list their primary medical condition as difficulty in hearing who were recorded as being economically inactive for the reason of (i) being a student, (ii) looking after family or home, (iii) being temporarily sick, (iv) being long-term sick, (v) being a discouraged worker, (vi) being retired and (vii) other reasons in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people (a) with hearing loss and (b) who list their primary medical condition as difficulty in hearing in employment who were in employment as (i) an employee, (ii) self-employed, (iii) unpaid family workers and (iv) part of a Government supported training and employment programme in the last 12 months.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 142.59 KB)

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions his Department has had with the National Citizen Service Trust on improving the democratic engagement offer for young people on National Citizen Service to coincide with the Government's democratic engagement strategy; and whether all young people completing National Citizen Service will be encouraged to register to vote ahead of local elections in May 2018.

Chloe Smith: The Government’s Democratic Engagement Plan, published in December, sets out our ambition to increase democratic participation amongst a wide variety of under-registered groups, including young people. This includes plans for the inaugural National Democracy Week (2-8 July 2018) to provide a focal point for democratic engagement amongst these groups.The National Citizen Service Trust (NCS Trust) is a member of the National Democracy Week Council, which is supporting the delivery of National Democracy Week. Cabinet Office officials are working with the Trust to support their planned activities.

Immigrants: Commonwealth

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in the UK were born in Commonwealth countries and arrived in the UK before 1971.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 April 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 67.1 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 145.25 KB)

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 67.1 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 145.25 KB)

Self-employed

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are registered self-employed.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 68.64 KB)

Prescription Drugs: Misuse

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for how many deaths the consumption of an excess of prescription drugs was the primary cause between 2012 and 2016.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 141.15 KB)

Cabinet Office: Databases

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) external data analysts and (b) data collection companies his Department has used in each of the last five years.

Oliver Dowden: The information requested is not held centrally and is only available at disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Contracts

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will use the Dun and Bradsheet human trafficking risk index when agreeing Government contracts.

Oliver Dowden: Each contract has its own risk profile and it is the responsibility of individual Contracting Authorities to assess and manage the risks associated with any given procurement using whichever tools they consider most appropriate.Suppliers convicted of human trafficking offences must be excluded from public contracts under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Treasury

Help to Buy Scheme

David Simpson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have (a) signed up to the help to buy scheme and (b) received their bonus under that scheme.

John Glen: More than 1.1m Help to Buy: ISA accounts have been opened since the start of the scheme. On 26 April the latest Help to Buy: ISA quarterly statistics will be published and unfortunately we cannot pre-empt that release. However the most recent set, published on 11 January 2018 and covering the period to September 2017, showed that since the start of the Help to Buy: ISA scheme, 143,894 bonuses had been paid out. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/official-statistics-on-the-help-to-buy-isa-scheme

Gaming Machines: Tax Yields

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of revenue to the Exchequer from fixed-odds betting terminals if the maximum stake on such terminals was reduced to £20.

Robert Jenrick: Gambling regulation is a matter for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Gambling Commission. DCMS are currently undertaking a review of gaming machines, and expect to publish a consultation response document shortly. In line with their statutory duties, the independent OBR publish the fiscal impact of any government policy that is introduced as part of the Budget process.

Royal Mint: Contracts

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Royal Mint supplies wholesalers outside the UK, including other EU nations.

Robert Jenrick: Her Majesty’s Treasury can confirm that The Royal Mint does supply several wholesalers outside the UK, including in other EU countries.

En+ Group

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many discussions involving which officials his Department had with the Financial Conduct Authority and the UK Listing Authority on the stock market listing of EN+.

John Glen: HM Treasury has no formal role in assessing the eligibility of applicants for admission to the UK Listing Authority’s Official List. The Financial Conduct Authority is the UK’s securities regulator and the competent authority for listings on the London Stock Exchange. Companies seeking to admit securities to the Official List must apply to the UK Listing Authority, a division of the Financial Conduct Authority. The UK Listing Authority can request guidance from HM Treasury but the decision as to whether or not to grant an application for listing on the London Stock Exchange is ultimately a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority. HM Treasury officials have regular discussions with officials from the Financial Conduct Authority and UK Listing Authority in the normal course of business covering a range of issues relating to financial services, including listings and related activities. It is not government practice to release details of officials’ discussions or their content as to do so would be impracticable and potentially prejudice the confidentiality of some discussions that take place. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on the gov.uk website.

Tax Evasion: Convictions

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases referred to prosecuting authorities by HMRC for serious and complex tax crime by corporations have concluded with a criminal conviction since 2010.

Mel Stride: HMRC investigates companies where fraudulent behaviour can be attributed to individuals who are directing minds of the company.However, HMRC also investigates individuals who are officers of companies but are prosecuted for irregularities relating to their personal tax affairs rather than that of the company. HMRC’s records do not categorise whether investigations and subsequent convictions are in respect of the individual working as an officer for the company or in relation to their personal tax affairs.HMRC has a strong track record of tackling those who have evaded their responsibilities or those who have facilitated tax evasion and is successful in over 90% of prosecutions.

Treasury: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Apprentices: Taxation

Ben Bradley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the Apprenticeship Levy on businesses in (a) England (b) the East Midlands (c) Mansfield constituency, since the levy was introduced.

Elizabeth Truss: During 2016/17 academic year, provisional data shows the following apprenticeship starts for Mansfield, the East Midlands and England: Mansfield1,450East Midlands47,180England485,500 Annual investment in apprenticeships in England will be £2.45bn in 19/20; double what was spent in 2010-11. Treasury ministers engage with the Secretary of State for Education on a regular basis to monitor the Government’s public investment in skills, and the impact it has had on businesses. Since the introduction of the Levy, 86% of employers said apprenticeships developed skills relevant to their organisation and 78% reported improved productivity (Apprenticeships evaluation 2017, November 2017).

Telecommunications: Taxation

Stephen McPartland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to abolish the Fibre Tax.

Mel Stride: The government is introducing a five-year business rates relief for new fibre infrastructure to support the rollout of new fibre broadband infrastructure and future 5G communications to homes and businesses. In terms of their rates liability on existing fibre, telecom networks will benefit from recent measures to reduce the burden of business rates by over £10bn by 2023.

Treasury: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury and its ALBs do not pay any employees or agency workers, under the Living Wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. HM Treasury does not hold information on wages paid by our suppliers.

Treasury: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Elizabeth Truss: The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. The Treasury is not one of the departments that has supplied any of this data to the audit but other departments have done so in respect to the public services for which they have responsibilities. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.

Treasury: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings he has had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Elizabeth Truss: The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.

Treasury: Revenue and Customs

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the Policy Partnership between HM Treasury and HMRC.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury (HMT) has a policy partnership with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to develop and deliver tax policy. The Policy Partnership is not a document or policy, but is rather the term used to describe the relationship between HMT and HMRC. HMT leads on strategic work and tax policy development, supported by HMRC. HMRC leads on policy maintenance and delivery, supported by HMT. The policy partnership covers policy work on all direct and indirect taxes and duties, National Insurance, tax credits and Child Benefit.

Revenue and Customs: ICT

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new contracts is Department has entered into in respect of the Columbus IT procurement programme for HMRC; what the value of those contracts was; and the (a) date and (b) duration of those contracts.

Mel Stride: HMRC has entered into 3 new contracts in respect of the Columbus IT procurement programme. All of the contracts started in July 2017 and are for an initial 3 year period ending June 2020. ContractSupplierContract Value1. Managed Desktop ServicesFujitsu£79m-£90m2. HMRC Customer Communication ServiceCommunisis£33m-£90m3. Managed Print ServiceHP£20m-£40m

Children: Day Care

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of administering the childcare service portal in each month since the beginning of the portal's operation.

Elizabeth Truss: The table below provides the cost of administering the childcare service each month. These include the operational costs of providing call centre support and ongoing IT service support costs. MonthCost (£)April 171,937,763May 172,294,341June 172,469,280July 172,824,802August 173,291,804September 173,822,858October 173,018,888November 173,479,858December 173,229,881January 183,730,204February 183,384,455March 183,562,783

Payments: EU Law

Stephen Kinnock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to implement the Revised Directive on Payment Services.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recourse is available to small and medium sized businesses in the event that they are receiving charges which are contrary to the revised Directive on Payment Services.

John Glen: The Government has transposed the second Payment Services Directive (PSDII) fully into UK law. The methods of recourse available to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) depend on the aspect of PSDII they are seeking recourse on. In all circumstances, we suggest the first port of call should be for the SME to try and resolve the issue directly with the business or individual in question. For issues relating to the surcharging ban on consumer payment instruments, we recommend that all parties consult guidance published by the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). If a customer thinks they have been subject to an unfair surcharge, they can contact the Citizens Advice consumer service for further information. The helpline provides free advice to consumers on their rights and will refer on complaints to Trading Standards for further enforcement action where necessary. For charges relating to other aspects of PSDII (such as statements), micro businesses with a turnover of less than €2 million and fewer than 10 employees have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS is an independent, non-governmental body, established under statute to provide for the proportionate, prompt and informal resolution of complaints against financial services firms. It provides a free, independent dispute resolution service for bank customers. Its decisions are binding on the firm concerned, without interfering with customers' rights to take legal action through the courts.

Royal Mint: Coinage

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the UK commemorative coin market held by the Royal Mint.

Robert Jenrick: Her Majesty’s Treasury have not estimated the size or value of The Royal Mint’s share of the UK commemorative coin market.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK will have completed all preliminary steps to allow ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products before 2 July 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The government is fully committed to the Protocol and its ratification and I can confirm that the preliminary steps to achieve this have begun. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the government plans to complete the ratification process before 2 July 2018.

Bank Services: Small Businesses

Christian Matheson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that banks maintain records for longer than five years in response to possible legal actions on the mis-selling of (a) tailored business loans and (b) other financial products to small businesses.

John Glen: Oversight of banks’ processes and redress schemes regarding the mis-selling of tailored business loans and other financial products to small businesses is the responsibility of the operationally independent Financial Conduct Authority.

Gift Aid

Stephanie Peacock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much gift aid was claimed by fundraising platforms through fees in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested on gift aid claimed by fundraising platforms on behalf of charities, is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Charities gift aid data cannot be readily broken down to identify such a group of charities, or to identify specific fundraising methods.

Individual Savings Accounts

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the change in the ratio of investments in stocks and shares ISAs to cash ISAs has been in each of the last five years.

John Glen: HMRC publishes annual statistics on new subscriptions and total savings in cash and stocks and shares Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). These are available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/individual-savings-accounts-isa-statistics These statistics consider investments in ISAs in a number of ways, including: the number of accounts subscribed to, the amounts subscribed and the total market value of funds.

Taxation: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government's timetable is for setting out its plans arising from its consultation on the impact of VAT and air passenger duty on tourism in Northern Ireland.

Mel Stride: As announced at Autumn Budget 2017, the government has published a call for evidence on the impact of VAT and APD on tourism in Northern Ireland, to report at Budget 2018.

Electric Vehicles: VAT

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenues have been collected from VAT on electric vehicle sales and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT revenues that can be broken down to the requested level of detail.

Financial Action Task Force

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the agenda for the Financial Action Task Force plenary meeting in June 2018.

John Glen: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the international standard-setting body for Anti-Money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT). The FATF Plenary, its decision-making body, meets three times a year. Due to the sensitive nature of Plenary discussions, agendas are not made public ahead of meetings. As is usual, following the June Plenary we will place a letter in the House library to update on developments at FATF.

Living Wage: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers in Wales were prosecuted for non-payment of the national living wage in each quarter of 2017.

Mel Stride: The government are determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. The ‘National Living Wage’ is a rate for workers aged 25 and over which was introduced in April 2016. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 126663 for information on prosecution results.

Treasury: Databases

Deidre Brock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which (a) external data analysts and (b) data collection companies his Department has used in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. HMT routinely records contracts let, where the total contract value is of £10,000 (excl VAT) or more on the Tender and Contract Database. While the database does retain details of individual suppliers it does not categorise them according to their status e.g. whether they are data analysts and / or data collection companies To ascertain the information requested would involve drilling down into the information contained and a call out to all individual suppliers to ascertain their formal status at disproportionate cost.

Financial Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that Asset Fund Managers automatically switch small investors' funds into less costly management options in compliance with Financial Conduct Authority guidance.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets the overall conduct standards for asset managers, including the requirement to treat customers fairly. The FCA has a broad suite of supervision and enforcement powers, to ensure financial services businesses comply with their rules. Following a comprehensive Market Study, the FCA have published new rules and guidance, aimed at driving better competition in the sector and allowing customers to find better value services. Specifically, the new regulations will require firms to publicly report on whether clients should be moved to lower cost share classes, where they are invested in more expensive classes which are otherwise the same. They will also make it easier for investors to be switched on to less costly management options by removing the need to secure express consent from investors.

Treasury: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Elizabeth Truss: Treasury systems are subject to regular patching and version updates in line with recommendations from the National Cyber Security Centre. We currently have one system that is more than three years old and work is ongoing to update this.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many arrests have been made in connection with fuel fraud in Northern Ireland between 1 January 2017 and 31 March 2018.

Robert Jenrick: Between the 1st January 2017 and 31st March 2018 there have been three arrests in Northern Ireland in connection with fuel fraud.

Pensions: Taxation

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will instruct HMRC to made individual assessments on the tax status of non-income tax paying people who withdraw money from their pension pots.

Mel Stride: The pension flexibility rules allow individuals with money purchase pension savings to withdraw lump sums as they wish from age 55.Individuals can now choose whether to take the entire funds in one lump sum, 25% of which is tax free and 75% taxable at their marginal rate of income tax as pension income. If they would prefer to take their savings in a number of smaller amounts, 25% of each payment is tax free and 75% taxable.Pension income is taxable under PAYE. If the pension payer has a tax code from HMRC they should operate that code in the normal way. If no tax code is held, the emergency code should be used. The emergency code gives a 1/12 of the personal allowance and each of the tax bands.If this means that the individual pays more tax than is ultimately due, HMRC have put in place a process for individuals to submit an in year claim for the overpaid tax. These claims are usually paid within 30 days. Anyone who does not make a claim, would automatically receive any overpaid tax after HMRC makes their annual reconciliation of individual tax records.

Income Tax

Yvette Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much income tax was paid by constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Yvette Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many taxpayers there were in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Yvette Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the median amount of income tax paid in each constituency was in each year from 2010 to 2016.

Mel Stride: Table 3.15 of HMRC’s personal income statistics provides estimates of the number of taxpayers, total income tax liabilities and median income tax liabilities for each constituency. Individual links to published tables covering tax years 2009‑10 to 2015‑16 are provided below. The figures are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, for which 2015-16 is the latest available year.  2015-16https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/694523/NS_Table_3_15_1516.xlsx 2014-15https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/610808/NS_Table_3_15_1415.xlsx 2013-14https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510901/Table_3_15_14.xlsx 2012-13https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/406897/Table_3_15_13.xls 2011-12https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284864/table3-15-12.xls 2010-11https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259586/table3-15.xls 2009-10http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120605033131/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk//stats/income_distribution/table-3-15-mar2012.xls  The links to the individual tables are published as part of the Personal Income Statistics collection:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-tax-by-parliamentary-constituency-2010-to-2011  Further information on the Survey of Personal Incomes can be found on HMRC’s website at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-incomes-statistics

Revenue and Customs: Preston

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135494 Revenue and Customs: North West, what the timetable is for HM Revenues and Customs to agree the Preston staffing position; and what assessment he has made of the staffing requirements for HMRC offices in Preston in after 2022.

Mel Stride: The DWP’s future resource requirements have not been finalised. HMRC are working with colleagues in DWP to complete planning as a matter of urgency and will let HMRC staff know the outcome as soon as possible. While there will be HMRC staff delivering Tax Credit work in Preston until 2022, there are no plans for any additional work to be located there.

Treasury: Consultants

Jenny Chapman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which consultancy firms his Department has commissioned to model future customs arrangements with the EU; and what the value of those contracts was.

Mel Stride: The Treasury has not commissioned any consultancy firms to model future customs arrangements with the European Union.

Revenue and Customs: Consultants

Jenny Chapman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which consultancy firms HMRC has commissioned to model future customs arrangements with the EU; and what the value of those contracts was.

Mel Stride: HMRC awarded a contract to McKinsey in January 2018 to model future customs arrangements. Details of the contract are available on Contracts Finder on GOV.UK.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

S4C

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish the report relating to the funding of Welsh language channel S4C.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 20 April 2018.The correct answer should have been:

DCMS ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders, including the Press Recognition Panel, to discuss a range of issues. We published the S4C independent review, 'Building an S4C for the future' on 29 March, alongside the government's response.

Margot James: DCMS ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders, including the Press Recognition Panel, to discuss a range of issues. We published the S4C independent review, 'Building an S4C for the future' on 29 March, alongside the government's response.

Youth Services

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to strengthen the evidence base of open access youth work and non-formal learning opportunities for young people.

Tracey Crouch: The Government recognises the importance of evidence for youth work, which is why we are making investments to build and strengthen the evidence base for open access, ‘informal’ youth provision. We fund the Centre for Youth Impact in its efforts to lead the thinking around impact of work with young people and are investing £1 million in a three-year evaluation (https://yiflearning.org/) of open access youth provision through the Youth Investment Fund, which aims to develop practical and relevant measurement approaches for open access youth services.We are also actively engaging organisations from the youth sector and young people on this issue as part of the Civil Society Strategy.

Charitable Donations

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of unlicensed charity bag collections.

Tracey Crouch: Door to door clothing collections raise millions of pounds each year for charities and also prevent hundreds of thousands of tonnes of textiles going to landfill. Where there are problems with bogus or unlicensed charitable collections then this is for local licensing authorities and the police to enforce.

Gambling: Internet

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the level of addictive gambling of placing restrictions on the amount people can spend on online gambling games.

Tracey Crouch: We are committed to ensuring that those who gamble are protected from gambling-related harm, whether they gamble online or in land-based premises. The Government’s consultation on gaming machines and social responsibility included measures to strengthen protections for online gambling. We will publish our response to the consultation in due course.All online operators must supply tools to help players control their gambling, including the option to set financial limits. The Gambling Commission’s 2017 Report on Gambling Participation found that financial limits were the most commonly used gambling management tool. The report also found that, in terms of the information provided by gambling companies, tools to help players control gambling had the biggest impact on stopping or reducing the amount people spent on gambling.In March 2018 the Gambling Commission announced plans to consult on customer due-diligence proposals which would require operators to set limits on players’ spending that could only be increased once they had further verified information about the player, for example through an affordability check.

West Bromwich Albion Football Club

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons he rejected the application by West Bromwich Albion Football Club to pilot a safe-standing scheme at The Hawthorns in the 2018-19 season; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Spectator safety at sports grounds remains the priority for Government.The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds.The Government will continue to learn from the latest data, research, and advances in technology to improve the safety of spectators, but we have yet to see robust evidence of a safer approach to protecting spectators at football matches than the existing all-seater arrangements.

Gambling: Internet

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people addicted to online gambling services.

Tracey Crouch: The Gambling Commission measures participation in gambling activity and the problem gambling rates associated with the activity. The latest Great Britain wide data on gambling participation and problem gambling rates is set out in the Health Survey report on Gambling Behaviour in Great Britain 2015, published in August 2017. This report found that 10% of people over the age of 16 participated in online gambling or betting in the past year and, amongst those, problem gambling rates were 5.1%. The report is available here: http://live-gamblecom.cloud.contensis.com/PDF/survey-data/Gambling-behaviour-in-Great-Britain-2015.pdf

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has put in place to ensure that the National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust has the governance, leadership and expertise necessary to deliver the expansion of the NCS programme; and if he will publish the NCS Trust’s full action plan on governance and capabilities improvements.

Tracey Crouch: The NCS Trust has developed plans to improve organisational governance, leadership and expertise. These plans were published on the Public Accounts Committee website on 3rd November 2017.Furthermore, improving governance was one of the key aims of the National Citizen Service Act (2017). The Act combined with the NCS Trust Royal Charter, will ensure that the NCS Trust is more accountable to parliament whilst preserving its operational independence and expertise.

Advertising: Eating Disorders

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the advertising industry promotes positive body images.

Margot James: Promoting social responsibility is one of DCMS’s six Departmental priorities and we engage regularly with the advertising industry to do this. Alongside this the advertising industry, through the Advertising Standards Authority, the industries independent regulator, has recently undertaken proactive research on the use of harmful gender stereotypes in advertising and has subsequently made significant changes to the advertising codes.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason there is a variation in cost between National Citizen Service delivery partner providers for (a) the activity based residential from £201 to £725 and (b) the skills based residential from £100 to £1,040, in Cost Benchmark Report, National Citizen Service, Final Report of 7 February 2018.

Margot James: These figures compare the costs of the NCS programme to other similar programmes which are not part of NCS, for example those delivered by outdoor activity centres, rather than variations of costs within the NCS delivery network itself.

Housing: Broadband

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to incentivise housing developers to ensure that all new homes can receive fast broadband.

Margot James: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is strongly committed to ensuring new build developments have high quality, reliable and future-proof connectivity. In early 2016, DCMS brokered an agreement between Openreach and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) so that all new build developments would be offered with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) for free, or as part of a co-funded initiative. In November 2016, Openreach announced that it would provide FTTP to all new developments with more than 30 plots for free. Virgin Media and GTC, another infrastructure provider, have similar agreements with the HBF. My Department’s Barrier Busting Task Force are exploring how we can build on this to ensure that all residents of new build developments receive the connectivity they deserve.

Broadband: Fees and Charges

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will ensure that the forthcoming Consumer Green Paper sets out provisions to ensure that broadband exit fees are charged at a rate that is fair to consumers.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 April 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The Consumer Green Paper was published on 11 April. It seeks views on how to ensure that modern consumer markets work for all, both now and in the future, including in the telecoms sector. Government will consider the responses to the Consumer Green Paper and, working with independent regulators including Ofcom, will publish a response detailing how they plan to further protect customers. Currently, the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 protect broadband consumers when they enter into contracts with a provider. Ofcom has the power to investigate communicate providers' compliance.Currently, contracts entered into on or after 1 October 2015 are covered by the unfair terms in consumer contracts protections in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. There are also protections under Ofcom rules (GC9.3) to ensure that conditions or procedures for contract termination do not act as a disincentive against changing provider. Additionally, Ofcom has the power to investigate communication providers' compliance and have an open enforcement programme on early termination charges: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/competition-bulletins/open-cases/cw_01199.

Margot James: The Consumer Green Paper was published on 11 April. It seeks views on how to ensure that modern consumer markets work for all, both now and in the future, including in the telecoms sector. Government will consider the responses to the Consumer Green Paper and, working with independent regulators including Ofcom, will publish a response detailing how they plan to further protect customers. Currently, the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 protect broadband consumers when they enter into contracts with a provider. Ofcom has the power to investigate communicate providers' compliance.Currently, contracts entered into on or after 1 October 2015 are covered by the unfair terms in consumer contracts protections in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. There are also protections under Ofcom rules (GC9.3) to ensure that conditions or procedures for contract termination do not act as a disincentive against changing provider. Additionally, Ofcom has the power to investigate communication providers' compliance and have an open enforcement programme on early termination charges: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/competition-bulletins/open-cases/cw_01199.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Margot James: All job roles advertised throughout 2016 and 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Margot James: DCMS is committed to offering all applicants equality of opportunity to apply for job roles, to ensure that we attract and retain candidates with the most talent and potential. The DCMS recruitment process does not require applicants to declare unspent criminal convictions upon application. However, applicants are asked to declare unspent criminal convictions as part of basic employment checks when a provisional offer of employment has been made. Decisions concerning appointment to a post where an individual has a conviction history are made on a case-by-case basis using risk assessments.

Social Mobility

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will make an assessment of the effect of the youth full-time social action programme on social mobility.

Tracey Crouch: Government recognises the benefits that young people derive from participation in social action. The 2016 National Youth Social Action Survey showed that young people who had participated in social action in the past 12 months had stronger personal networks and higher life satisfaction than those who have never done any social action. Independent evaluations of the National Citizen Service also show that the programme prepares participants for life and work by furnishing them with softer skills such as leadership, teamwork and increased resilience. The Government response to the Full Time Social Action Review’s report will be published in due course.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor have had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Margot James: The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts, Forty Sixth Report of Sessions 2016-2017, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, National Citizen Service, Cm 9505, published in October 2017, what progress his Department has made on the February 2018 target for the implementation of a clear plan, and to secure agreement with other Government Departments.

Tracey Crouch: DCMS updated the Public Accounts Committee in March 2018 on plans to evaluate the long term outcomes of the National Citizen Service programme, including progress in securing agreement from other Government Departments.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what target his Department has set for the number of participations on the National Citizens Service programme for (a) 2018 and (b) 2017-18; and when the results will be published.

Tracey Crouch: The target number of participants for the National Citizen Service programme in 2018 is ‘more than 100,000’. The results will be published in early 2019.The 2017 target was 101,000 participants, and the National Citizen Service Trust achieved 99,179.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts, on the Forty Sixth Report of Sessions 2016-2017, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, National Citizen Service, Cm 9505, published in October 2017, what steps the Government is taking to ensure safeguarding is embedded into National Citizen Service; and what policies and procedures around safeguarding the National Citizen Service Trust has enhanced since October 2017.

Tracey Crouch: Safeguarding is of paramount concern to the National Citizen Service Trust and following the recommendation made by the Committee of Public Accounts, the NCS Trust continue to enhance their policies and practices. Since October 2017 the NCS Trust has developed:NCS Trust Safeguarding Capability Assessment Framework which sets out safeguarding standards and can be used for self assessment by partners;NCS Trust Drugs, Alcohol and Psychoactive Substance Policy which provides guidance for partners on how incidents relating to these substances should be managed on NCS programmes; and,NCS Trust Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Assessment Tool which gives guidance to partners on how to assess if a young person may be at risk and the actions they can take to support individuals deemed to be at risk.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the next commissioning round of National Citizen Service (NCS) will take place; and what assessment he has made of whether his Department has delivered on its pledge to develop a robust and complete NCS cost model in advance of this.

Tracey Crouch: The next National Citizen Service (NCS) commissioning round will take place later this year. NCS Trust and DCMS are working closely to develop further and refine the cost model that will underpin the future programme.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 119896, what estimate her Department has made of the unit cost for National Citizen Service places in 2018.

Tracey Crouch: We expect the NCS unit cost to reduce each year and the 2018-19 target will be lower than the 2017-18 target of £1,773.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the National Citizens Service Trust on its claims against the liquated provider Engage4Life Limited; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the decision by the Trust to drop those claims.

Tracey Crouch: NCS Trust have kept DCMS informed of the situation in relation to Engage4Life. Following the liquidation NCS Trust wrote off £110,000.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to minimise the risk of paying for unfilled places with new partner contracts for the National Citizen Service programme.

Tracey Crouch: We are working closely with NCS Trust on the design of future provider contracts. Reducing the amount spent on NCS unfilled places is a priority as it will deliver greater value for money for the taxpayer. As new contracts will not come into effect until 2020 we have also taken steps including introducing measures on unfilled places in the NCS Trust performance management framework.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many times the Government has been notified of a provider of National Citizen Service that has (a) fallen into serious financial difficulty and (b) breached their contract with serious consequences for the NCS Trust since records began.

Tracey Crouch: The National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust holds contractual relationships with nine Regional Delivery Partners who in turn hold contracts with multiple Local Delivery Partners.Since NCS was established, the Government has been made aware of two Local Delivery Partners who have fallen into serious financial difficulty. Furthermore, the Government was made aware of one Regional Delivery Partner who breached their contract and NCS Trust subsequently took responsibility for delivering the programme in that region.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to launch a campaign to appoint a new chair of the National Citizen Service Trust; and what the target completion date for that appointment is.

Tracey Crouch: The campaign to find a Chair for the National Citizen Service Trust Royal Charter body launched on 28 March 2018. Applications are currently due to close on 25 April 2018. Once the campaign is closed for applications, the interview panel will begin to sift applicants, and we aim to appoint a candidate later in the Summer.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff have worked for the National Citizen Service Trust in each year since 2013.

Tracey Crouch: The numbers of staff that have worked for the National Citizen Service Trust each year since 2013 are as follows:- 2013/14: 20- 2014/15: 40- 2015/16: 50- 2016/17: 104- 2017/18: 186

Crime: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential relationship between trends in the level of (a) funding for youth services and (b) youth crime.

Tracey Crouch: The Government recognises that the causes of youth crime are complex and are often tied to local factors. Local authorities allocate funding and deliver youth services in line with local need. The Government has made over £200bn available to local authorities to spend on local services over this Spending Review.The Government is committed to making sure all young people have opportunities to develop the skills, networks and resilience that can improve their life chances and support them to avoid negative pathways such as violence and crime. We are investing up to £80 million in voluntary and community organisations that work with young people through the Youth Investment and #iwill Funds. Government also continues to fund the National Citizen Service - a voluntary and social development programme open to all 15 - 17 year olds across England and Northern Ireland, which aims to build a more responsible, cohesive and engaged society.DCMS will continue to work closely with the Home Office on the implementation of the Serious Violence Strategy.

ERASMUS

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions representatives of his Department have had with representatives of the Department for Exiting the European Union on protecting the UK's involvement in the European Union's Erasmus training and study programme after 2020 as part of the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Tracey Crouch: The Department for Education (DfE) is the national authority for the whole Erasmus+ programme while the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is responsible for policy on the specific youth and sport opportunities offered under Erasmus+. DCMS Ministers and its officials are working closely with their colleagues across Government, including DfE and the Department for Exiting the EU, on the UK's Exit from the EU. No decisions on UK participation in the future post 2020 Erasmus+ programme have yet been taken, as the scope of the programme has not yet been agreed. UK participation in the successor programmes will form part of the negotiations about our future relationship with the EU.

Broadband

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,  what progress his Department has been made on ensuring that mobile devices will be able to use the 3.4GHz spectrum band required to support the roll-out of 5G broadband.

Margot James: Ofcom is the independent regulator responsible for spectrum in the UK. Last week, Ofcom concluded an auction for spectrum in the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands. This placed more 4G spectrum and the first spectrum for new 5G services into the hands of mobile operators. Decisions as to where and when the spectrum is used to deploy for networks are commercial matters for the operators.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the circumstances in which a delivery partner of National Citizens Service would be required to pay back money to the NSC Trust due to not meeting their contractual participation target thresholds.

Tracey Crouch: NCS Trust has established seasonal checkpoints to adjust the number of contracted places if a Regional Delivery Partner has not signed up the required number of participants. In this instance 100% of the released payment is recovered.At the end of the programme season NCS Trust require that Regional Delivery Partners self-report on profit against participation numbers. Should Regional Delivery Partners make more profit than was stated in their original bid, and not hit their participation targets, NCS Trust will recover funding.Additionally, the NCS Trust perform independent spot check audits of cost reconciliation data. For Summer 2016 the Trust recovered £218,413 of unspent funds in regions where delivery was below the contractual performance thresholds.

National Citizen Service Trust

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to (a) the conclusion on page 6 of the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, National Citizen Service, Forty-sixth Report of Session 2016–17, HC 955, published on 14 March 2017, that states that the National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust paid providers around £10 million in 2016 for places that were not filled and (b) the conclusion on page 15 of the Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts, Forty Sixth Report of Sessions 2016-2017,  Department for Culture, Media and Sport, National Citizen Service, Cm 9505, published in October 2017 that states that £218,413 has been recovered by the Trust from the relevant providers, what the reasons are for the discrepancies between those two sums of money; what steps the Government is taking to ensure that funds for NCS places not filled are recovered; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: NCS Trust pays providers 50% of the unit cost of commissioned places in advance so that they can build the infrastructure needed to safely deliver NCS. The £10 million figure refers to the amount paid upfront to NCS providers in 2016 for places that were not filled.For the Summer 2016 programme, providers whose delivery was below contractual performance thresholds were audited in order to identify whether the advance payments had been fully spent. The Trust identified and recovered £218,413 of unspent funds.  Reducing the amount spent on unfilled places is a priority for DCMS and we have taken steps including introducing measures on unfilled places in the NCS Trust performance management framework.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Margot James: DCMS has the following IT systems which meet the criteria:(a) Nil(b) Nil(c) Two Both systems identified as being 8 years old and over are planned to be re-developed as part of the planned work on the Departments wider IT Delivery programme and Digital Transformation.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated to each regional delivery partner of the National Citizen Service programme in (a)2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18.

Tracey Crouch: This information is commercially sensitive and cannot be made public, as the next National Citizen Service (NCS) commissioning round of provider contracts will take place this year.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the promotion of volunteering opportunities to National Citizen Service graduates.

Tracey Crouch: The National Citizen Service Trust’s online Opportunity Hub matches young people who have graduated from the NCS programme to opportunities, including opportunities for volunteering and social action projects in their local communities.

Voluntary Work: Honours

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure the publication of guidance on nominating outstanding volunteers for honours.

Tracey Crouch: Guidance on nominating an individual for a national honour is readily available and can be found on GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/honours.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with key infrastructure providers on the steps they are taking to protect themselves from cyber-attack.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Government Departments and the National Cyber Security Centre have regular discussions with key infrastructure providers on their management of cyber risk. Ensuring the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure is secure and resilient against cyber attack is a priority for the Government as set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy. This is supported by a significant programme of work to provide advice, guidance and support to infrastructure providers and develop effective regulatory frameworks.

Integrated Schools: Northern Ireland

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of pupils attending integrated schools in Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government is committed to supporting shared and integrated education in Northern Ireland, as demonstrated by the £500 million dedicated funding allocated under the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements.However, as education is a devolved matter, an estimate of the proportion of pupils attending integrated schools in Northern Ireland should rightly be sought from the devolved Department for Education.

Prime Minister

Older People: Departmental Responsibilities

James Frith: To ask the Prime Minister, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of creating at Cabinet level a Minister for older citizens .

Mrs Theresa May: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Esther McVey) and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Jeremy Hunt), are responsible for a wide range of issues affecting older people.

AggregateIQ

Deidre Brock: To ask the Prime Minister, for what reasons the meeting at 10 Downing Street with (a) Jeff Silvester and (b) Zack Massingham of AggregateIQ was not reported in the Cabinet Office Transparency data; and if she will publish the (a) date of the visit, (b) who issued them with the invitation to the meeting, (c) who attended that meeting and what the purpose of that meeting was.

Mrs Theresa May: The transparency data published on a quarterly basis relates to official meetings with external organisations and individuals.